温哥华杜鹃协会 (Vancouver Rhododendron Society, VRS) 是加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华的一个杜鹃花爱好者专业协会，成立于 1955 年 10 月 15 日，是美国杜鹃协会 (American Rhododendron Society, ARS) 属下的温哥华分会 (ARS District 1 BC Chapter)，也是 ARS 进入加拿大后设立的第一个分会。协会以促进杜鹃属植物的栽培、研究与交流为宗旨，举办月度讲座、年度展销、会员花园参观及杜鹃专类资源分享等活动，会员以温哥华地区及周边不列颠哥伦比亚省的园艺爱好者为主。
历史沿革
温哥华杜鹃协会的历史由温哥华著名景观建筑师与杜鹃历史学家 Clive L. Justice 博士整理。1954 年，温哥华景观设计师 Desmond Muirhead 致信位于美国波特兰的 ARS 秘书 Ruth Hansen，询问成立分会的程序。当时的程序较为简单：招募 10 名会员（每人缴纳 10 美元，当时加元与美元等值）、采用 ARS 章程与一套附则、选举主席与董事会。1955 年 10 月 15 日，成立大会在温哥华 Kerrisdale 街区 Desmond 与 Helen Muirhead 住所召开，Desmond Muirhead 当选首任会长，秘书兼财务 Ellen Hailey 主持会议，会员包括景观设计师、苗圃经营者、教师、银行经理等温哥华本地园艺界人士。2005 年，协会迎来成立 50 周年纪念，也恰逢 ARS 进入加拿大 50 周年。
活动与会议
协会常规月度会议在温哥华 Van Dusen 植物园 (Van Dusen Garden Botanical Garden) Floral Hall 举行，通常为每月第 3 个周四晚 7 点开门、7 点 30 分开始，邀请国内外杜鹃研究者、园艺历史学家、植物探险家及花园设计师主讲；每年春末至初夏在北温哥华 Park and Tilford Gardens 举行为期一天的杜鹃展销会 (Annual Rhododendron Show and Sale)，此外安排会员花园互访、不列颠哥伦比亚大学植物园 (UBC Botanic Garden) 及斯坦利公园 Ted and Mary Greig 杜鹃花园参观、年度野餐会等会员活动。协会自有出版物《Indumentum》登载杜鹃栽培笔记、会员花园介绍与本地品种记录。
会员与组织
协会提供四档会籍：双会籍 ARS/VRS 每年 55 加元（含 ARS 年度期刊）、仅 VRS 分会会籍每年 30 加元、加拿大境内其他 ARS 分会会员的附属会籍每年 15 加元、美国境内 ARS 分会会员的附属会籍每年 15 美元。会员可获 ARS 年度四期期刊、参与月度讲座与年度展销、参观华盛顿州 Federal Way 的杜鹃物种基金会植物园 (Rhododendron Species Foundation Garden)、享受合作苗圃折扣与会员专享价格，并可与温哥华、本那比 (Burnaby)、维多利亚 (Victoria)、纳奈莫 (Nanaimo)、科威琴谷 (Cowichan Valley)、弗雷泽南 (Fraser South) 等不列颠哥伦比亚省与温哥华岛的其他杜鹃协会会员交流。
Vancouver Rhododendron Society
The Vancouver Rhododendron Society (VRS) is a rhododendron enthusiast association based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded on October 15, 1955, VRS operates as the Vancouver Chapter (ARS District 1 BC Chapter) of the American Rhododendron Society (ARS) and was the first ARS chapter established in Canada. The Society promotes the cultivation, study, and appreciation of Rhododendron species and hybrids, with members drawn primarily from Vancouver and the surrounding British Columbia region.
History
The Society’s history was compiled by Clive L. Justice, PhD, a Vancouver landscape architect and rhododendron historian. In 1954, Vancouver landscape architect Desmond Muirhead wrote to ARS secretary Ruth Hansen in Portland, Oregon, to inquire about the procedures for forming a chapter. The process was straightforward: recruit ten members at US$10 each (the Canadian and US dollars were at par), adopt the ARS constitution and bylaws, and elect officers and directors. On October 15, 1955, the inaugural meeting was held at the Kerrisdale home of Desmond and Helen Muirhead. Desmond Muirhead was elected the first president. The Society marked its 50th anniversary in 2005, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of ARS’s expansion into Canada.
Meetings and Activities
Regular monthly meetings are held at the Floral Hall of Van Dusen Garden Botanical Garden in Vancouver on the third Thursday of each month, with doors opening at 7:00 PM and the program beginning at 7:30 PM. Speakers include rhododendron researchers, garden historians, plant explorers, and garden designers from North America, the United Kingdom, and Asia. Each spring, the Society hosts the Annual Rhododendron Show and Sale at Park and Tilford Gardens in North Vancouver. Members also participate in garden tours, visits to the UBC Botanic Garden, the Ted and Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden in Stanley Park, and an annual summer potluck picnic. The Society publishes the journal Indumentum.
Membership
The Society offers four membership categories: combined ARS/VRS membership at CAD$55 per year (including ARS quarterly journals), VRS chapter-only membership at CAD$30 per year, associate membership for members of other Canadian ARS chapters at CAD$15 per year, and associate membership for members of non-Canadian ARS chapters at US$15 per year. Benefits include ARS quarterly journals, monthly meetings with plant sales and illustrated lectures, garden tours, discounts at participating nurseries, free admission to the Rhododendron Species Foundation Garden in Federal Way, Washington, and fellowship with fellow rhododendron and companion-plant enthusiasts across British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
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