Canada Atlantic Rhododendron & Horticultural Society (ARHS) – The Oldest Rhododendron Society on Canada's Atlantic Coast

The Atlantic Rhododendron & Horticultural Society (ARHS, formerly RSCAR) is a Nova Scotia-based horticultural society and the oldest rhododendron specialty organization on Canada's Atlantic coast. The Society traces its origin to 1976, when two passionate local plantsmen — the late Don Craig and the late Captain Richard Steele — founded the Rhododendron Society of Canada Atlantic Region (RSCAR) as one of three regional chapters of the Rhododendron Society of Canada (RSC), alongside the Niagara and Toronto chapters. In the 1980s, the Niagara and Toronto chapters opted to join the American Rhododendron Society (ARS), and RSC ceased to exist as a standalone organization; the three regions — Atlantic, Niagara, and Toronto — subsequently became the three chapters of ARS District 12 (also referred to as RSC). In 2003, members formally renamed the Society to the Atlantic Rhododendron & Horticultural Society to reflect the broader horticultural interests of local gardeners and plantspeople beyond rhododendrons and other ericaceous plants, while keeping rhododendrons as the central focus. ARHS is registered as a non-profit society in Nova Scotia and is a 100% volunteer-run organization.

Monthly Meetings, Annual Events, and Membership Benefits

ARHS holds regular monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month from September through May (no meetings in June, July, or August), at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Meetings are open to guests and feature an invited speaker with a visual presentation; speakers are typically from Nova Scotia but also include rhododendron specialists, horticultural historians, and plant explorers from elsewhere in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Topics range from rhododendron cultivation to rock gardens, companion plants, soil mixes and potting techniques, and garden tours, followed by a snack and social. Other annual events include the Steele Lecture (a top-tier invited plantsperson named in honour of founding member Captain Richard Steele), the June Garden Tour and potluck supper, the May plant sale at Le Marchant-St. Thomas School Gymnasium, and workshops, seed and cutting exchanges, and a tissue-cultured rhododendron pre-order. Member benefits include the tri-annual newsletter AtlanticRhodo (February, May, October; approximately 20 pages with feature articles, plant photos, and event notices), seed and cutting exchanges, plant sale access, the lending library, and combined membership with the American Rhododendron Society (ARS) for the ARS Journal and access to the ARS Seed Exchange and Pollen Bank.

Member Gardens and the Nova Scotia Climate

One of the Society's most prominent member gardens is the Hopgood Garden, developed in four stages by member Chris Hopgood beginning in 1997. The garden is laid out in ten areas featuring a wide variety of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, and dogwoods, complemented by erica, euonymus, broom, hosta, bamboo, iris, and other perennials; attractive stone walls, a driftwood bench, and trellises for clematis, euonymus, and honeysuckle; and a low-lying bog area that floods seasonally and supports moisture-loving plants. The Society's website documents the Atlantic Canadian climate, where Nova Scotia's position as a 544 km by 80 km peninsula between the 43rd and 47th parallels, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Bay of Fundy and moderated by the Gulf Stream's northern extension, produces hardiness zones from 5a in the interior to 6b (with pockets of 7a) along the southern coast. Winter lows can reach -23°C to -27°C but with frequent freeze-thaw cycles and a four-foot frost line, while summers are moderate (20–25°C). This transitional climate supports a wide range of rhododendrons, including R. maximum, R. catawbiense, Yakushima hybrids, and various Atlantic-region hybridizers' selections, as catalogued in the Society's Proven Performers and Atlantic Hybridizers resources.

Founding Figures and Memorial Heritage

Founding member Captain Richard M. Steele was a seminal figure in Nova Scotian horticulture and a mentor to many local gardeners; he passed away on March 14, 2010. His daughter Diana Steele continued his work at Bayport Nurseries (Bayport Plant Farm) on Nova Scotia's south shore, propagating and distributing her father's rhododendron hybrids and other hardy Ericaceae, until her own passing on March 12, 2013. The Society honours the Steele legacy through the annual Steele Lecture; through the Captain Steele Memorial Scholarship and Endowment Fund, established in partnership with Walter Ostrom at what is now Dalhousie University's Agricultural Campus in Truro (awarded annually to a graduating student for postgraduate horticultural study); and through Bowater Mersey's June 2010 dedication of Pine Grove Park in Captain Steele's memory. ARHS continues to maintain close ties with ARS District 12 and its sister chapters in Niagara and Toronto, and remains the principal specialty society for rhododendron and alpine plant enthusiasts across Nova Scotia and Canada's Atlantic provinces.

Website: https://atlanticrhodo.org/