Meerkerk Gardens opens spring nursery March 21, hosts member preview, plant selections

Meerkerk Gardens, the island’s renowned rhododendron and woodland garden near Greenbank, is advertising a two-day spring nursery opening that gives members priority access to nursery stock. The Meerkerk website lists a special members-only opening on Friday, March 20, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., followed by a public Nursery Opening Day on Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; an Instagram post from the garden corroborates the Friday 11–2 and Saturday 10–4 times in its event excerpt.

Sources differ on the year and on one calendar’s hours. A Whidbey & Camano Islands events listing labels the event “Meerkerk Gardens Members day 2025” for March 21, 2025, noon–3 p.m., while an Original Report names a “member preview day set for March 21, 2026.” Because Meerkerk Gardens’ own site is the organizer’s communication, its Friday/Saturday two-day schedule is the primary schedule shown in the supplied material, but the year and some hours remain inconsistent across sources and should be confirmed with Meerkerk before attending.

Membership carries explicit privileges for plant buyers. The Meerkerk site notes, “Members get first choice PLUS 10% off plant purchases.” The Whidbey & Camano Islands copy adds, “One of the benefits of Friends of Meerkerk membership is a special opportunity to be the first to peruse our spring nursery inventory,” and, “Members also get 10 percent off nursery purchases and unlimited visits to the Gardens at one annual price, among other benefits.” That calendar entry also states, “Members are free during this member event at the nursery,” and that attendees may sign up for membership at the event.

Inventory figures and plant names are spelled out in the supplied materials. The Whidbey & Camano Islands listing states explicitly, “We have more than 1,200 rhododendrons and azaleas in stock and more than 200 varieties to choose from.” Meerkerk’s site includes a photographic “Rhododendrons by name” list and cautions, “This is a comprehensive photo list of plants, including growing information. Note: It may not reflect actual inventory.” Sample names shown in Meerkerk’s excerpt include R. fargesii, R. haematodes, R. Macrophylum, Red Eye, Ruby Bowman, Sapphire, Snow Lady, Songbird, Many Moons, Midnight Magic, Olga Mezitt, Oso and Pachysanthum.

Practical visitor details in the supplied calendar copy list garden size and admission: “Aside from 10 acres of display gardens, there are 43 acres of woodlands to explore along our nature trails.” The Whidbey & Camano Islands excerpt also states, “The rest of the gardens are open to visitors for the usual $10 adult admission. Kids under 13 are free. Dogs on leash are always welcome!” The calendar page implies advance tickets may be available with the line “to purchase a ticket in advance click HERE,” but no advance-purchase link was included in the excerpt.

None of the supplied materials mention volunteer opportunities; that detail is absent from the excerpts. Because the supplied sources conflict on year and some hours, confirm the final schedule, the event year, current inventory counts, and ticketing procedures directly with Meerkerk Gardens before publishing or attending.