Our plants are guaranteed to be in good health when shipped and true to name; however, the authenticity of seedlings from wild collected sources cannot be guaranteed.

Packing and shipping may damage tender foliage and stems. Plants will typically recover from this with new growth upon watering, repotting, and/or planting. Deciduous and dormant plants may be cut back for cleanliness upon packing.

We are not responsible for damage incurred in transit. In the event of destruction or loss of package in entirety, please enter claims with the carrier and notify us immediately. If you are not satisfied with your plants for any reason, please email or call the RSBG office within three (3) days of receiving your order. We strive to provide the highest quality plants and a positive customer experience for all. Order issues will be thoughtfully handled on a case-by-case basis by our staff.

All plants have been propagated and grown at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, either from cuttings, grafts or seed.

Species Name— Taxonomic names are listed in italic type. Some species names may be followed by “affinity.” This means that this accession or seedlot shows an obvious relationship to the species listed, but does not quite fit the taxonomic type description. 

Species Description—This may include size, flower color, habit, geographic distribution in the wild, source of the genetic material, etc. 

Cultural Information—A set of three numbers enclosed within parentheses (0/R1/6).

The first is the hardiness rating in Fahrenheit degrees. This gives an approximation of the lowest temperature the plant can withstand without substantial damage. (See *Note on Hardiness below.)

The second number − R1, R2 or R3, is the ease of cultivation rating. This is a system developed here at the RSBG to provide the average gardener with a quick and easy method of selecting the appropriate plant material.

R1—easy and reliable using standard methods of cultivation 

R2—easy if certain specific cultural requirements are met; usually given in the description (“sharp drainage” or “requires shade” for example) 

R3—can be challenging even for the experienced grower

The third number is the approximate height in ten years from a two‐year old plant. This is estimated using the average rate of growth for that particular clone (or species) under typical garden growing conditions. 

*A Note on Hardiness—Average annual minimum temperature is generally accepted as the key factor in determining the hardiness of a plant, but there are other important factors such as timing of temperature event, moisture levels, age of the specimen, health, exposure, snow cover and soils. Thus, the minimum temperature given for an accession should be used only as a rough guideline to whether it will thrive in a particular location. Many of the minimum temperatures provided are estimations based on data available in the literature (often from Great Britain) and our own observations here at the garden. We would like to be able to provide a more accurate hardiness rating for each species and individual clone. You can help by providing us with any information on cold and/or heat damage and tolerance observed in your climate and under your various growing conditions. 

Accession (clonal) or seedlot number—this is designated either with the accession number in boldface (for clonally propagated material) — 1964/012 for example; or with a seedlot number in boldface (for seedlings) — 351sd2003 for example. 

Price—Price per plant, in U.S. dollars. Note that a “-B” following the dollar amount indicates a band pot (3‐inch)
instead of the standard one‐gallon size container. 

All regular members receive early access to the catalog and priority allocation over non-Member orders. Not a member yet? Join online here! 

The higher the level of membership, the bigger the perk. Members giving $150 or more receive the earliest access to the catalog – a full week before general Members, AND a 10% discount at checkout (coupon code required). Eligible Membership levels include Supporting, Sustaining, and Benefactor levels. Members of Associate groups are not eligible for early access to the catalog.

You do not have to be a member of the RSBG to order from our plant catalog; however, RSBG members receive perks like priority access to the catalog and discounts. See “Member Perks” above for more information.

All customers are required place orders online and to pay for their plants and shipping (if applicable) at the time of ordering.  We accept major credit cards through our secure online store. Payments are often processed through Paypal as the credit card processor, but you do not need a Paypal account to process a payment via our online store. Payment does not require a Paypal login.

We will no longer be accepting paper orders sent via mail, email, or fax. If you require assistance placing an order online, please reach out to our staff at orders@rhodygarden.org and we will help place your order. In addition, our administrative staff can be reached by phone, Monday through Friday 8am-4pm, at 253-838-4646.

All orders will receive a confirmation of receipt. If you have not received email confirmation, your order may not have been completed.

Shipping rates are calculated by United Parcel Service (UPS) and are estimated based on the size and weight of packages and the destination location.

All domestic pick-up orders will be held at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden Visitor Center on your designated pick up day.

Canadian orders may be picked up in person at the garden on Saturday, April 4th when the WSDA inspector is on-site for phytosanitary inspections. Shipped orders will be held for pick-up at the Victoria International Airport after clearing customs via Seawings.

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden is located at 2525 S. 336th Street, Federal Way, WA 98003. The Garden is located in the same shared courtyard as the Pacific Bonsai Museum. The physical address can be confusing for cellular mapping applications, so it's best to input the business name, “Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden” or "Pacific Bonsai Museum" into your GPS application – this method will send you directly to the entrance where the loading zone is located. Visitors who wish to tour the garden should park in the main parking lot across the street and take the walking trail to the entrance gate.

Check rhodygarden.org/visit  for more information and detailed directions.

Shipping for the 2026 Spring Catalog will begin Monday, February 2nd.

For domestic orders, we will be shipping every Monday from February 2nd through May 4th (excluding February 16th and April 27th). The first shipping on Monday, February 2nd will be for member orders only.

International shipping for Canadian orders will be Monday, April 6th.

Pick up for the 2026 Spring Catalog will begin the weekend of February 14th-15th.

Pick up weekends will be Feb 14-15, Mar 7-8, Mar 21-22, April 4-5, April 18-19, May 2-3.

International pick up with on-site phyto inspection at the RSBG will be Saturday, April 4th

Once your order has shipped, you will receive a tracking number via email or SMS, depending on the contact information provided at checkout. You can use this tracking number to monitor the status of your delivery or pickup fulfillment.