历史与沿革
美国 Meerkerk 杜鹃花园（Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens）位于美国华盛顿州惠德贝岛（Whidbey Island）的 Greenbank 小镇，1960 年代由 Ann 与 Max Meerkerk 夫妇开始营建。花园设计灵感来自英国 Rothschild 家族 Exbury Garden、Max 在亚洲的生活经历，以及华盛顿州本土的 Rhododendron macrophyllum；Ann 同时是华盛顿公园植物园（Washington Park Arboretum）和西雅图美国杜鹃花学会（American Rhododendron Society, Seattle Chapter）的活跃成员。夫妇二人在数十年间陆续购入 53 英亩土地——最初 13 英亩、其后追加 20 英亩、Max 去世后 Ann 又购入最后的 20 英亩，并亲自主导杜鹃杂交与稀有品种的收集工作，将最初的 5 英亩打造成了日后被称作「Secret Garden」的小型树木园。
捐赠与公共化
1979 年 Ann Meerkerk 去世前，将整个花园遗赠给西雅图杜鹃花学会（Seattle Rhododendron Society），并明确希望它能作为「一座以杜鹃花与伴生植物为主的宁静林地花园」永续经营。西雅图杜鹃花学会接手后将花园向公众开放，使其成为惠德贝岛上少数由专业园艺社团长期托管的杜鹃专类园。今天的 Meerkerk 杜鹃花园已是独立运营的非营利机构（501c(3) organization），由 Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens 自有董事会负责日常管理，并通过会员、捐赠与志愿者体系维持 53 英尺林地的保育与开放。
园区布局与功能
Meerkerk 杜鹃花园的核心展示区占地 10 英亩，由多个不同主题的「花园房间（garden rooms）」组成，沿着原有的观赏树木和原生林荫小径展开；外围的 43 英亩则是次生林保护区，设有步道供访客步行穿行，是体验太平洋西北部原生森林的天然课堂。园区包括欢迎中心与门房（Welcome Center at the Gatehouse）、Meerkerk House（由 1932 年乡村小屋改造而成的 1962 年集会空间，2021 年起由建筑师 Lee Williamson 主持改造，成为员工办公、志愿者培训与小型活动的多功能场所）、季节性 Bloom Report 与 Year in Bloom 记录、Bluegrass Festival、Mother’s Day Concert、Summer Member Nights 等年度活动场地，以及 Bluegrass Festival 舞台所在的 gazebo 草坪观海景点。
教育与社区参与
花园向 K-5 年级学生提供名为 Botany Adventure Tours 的探究式植物科学课程，由 1.5 至 2 小时的实地导览组成，把校园外的林地变成「户外教室」；成人则有 Public Garden Tours & Forest Walks、Private Tours 与各类 Classes。所有访客可领取免费 Garden Map 与 Garden Etiquette 指南，并参与 Wish List 物资捐赠、Memorial Bench 纪念长椅认捐、State Flower License Plate 州花车牌购买等多层次的公众参与方式。花园同时依赖会员（Membership）、月度捐赠者（monthly donor）、一次性捐赠者（one-time donor）、遗赠捐赠者（legacy donor）以及志愿讲解员（Docent）维持运营；Candid Seal of Transparency 认证也保障了财务披露的透明度。
History and Founders
Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens is a 53-acre woodland garden on Whidbey Island, Washington, that Ann and Max Meerkerk began developing in the early 1960s. Inspired by England’s Rothschild Exbury Garden, Max’s years in Asia, and Washington’s native Rhododendron macrophyllum, the Meerkerks assembled the property in three purchases: 13 acres originally, 20 acres added together, and a final 20 acres Ann bought after Max’s death. They hybridized rhododendrons and gathered rare specimens, flowering trees, and conifers, planting the first five acres as the miniature arboretum known today as the Secret Garden.
Bequest and Public Stewardship
Before Ann Meerkerk passed away in 1979, she bequeathed the property to the Seattle Rhododendron Society with the wish that it remain “a peaceful woodland garden with an emphasis on rhododendrons and companion plants.” The Society opened the gardens to the public and managed them until the site became an independent nonprofit. Today Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens operates as a 501c(3) organization governed by its own board, sustained by members, donors, and volunteers who keep the 53 acres open and well-tended.
Garden Rooms and Forest Preserve
The 10-acre display garden is laid out as a series of themed garden rooms threaded through mature ornamental and native trees, while the surrounding 43 acres of second-growth forest provide walking trails for visitors who want to experience the Pacific Northwest ecosystem. Facilities include the Welcome Center at the Gatehouse, the Meerkerk House (a 1962 gathering space renovated in 2021 from a 1932 cottage under board president and architect Lee Williamson), the gazebo lawn used for the annual Bluegrass Festival and Mother’s Day Concert, and seasonal bloom-report signage.
Education and Community Programs
Botany Adventure Tours bring K-5 students into the garden for 1.5-to-2-hour inquiry-based plant science sessions that use the woodland as an outdoor classroom, while adults can join Public Garden Tours & Forest Walks, Private Tours, and seasonal Classes. Engagement extends beyond visits through Membership, monthly and legacy giving, Memorial Benches, the State Flower License Plate program, and the Wish List supply drive; the Candid Seal of Transparency signals the garden’s commitment to financial accountability.
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