Did you know that Western azaleas have a scent?

“The smell is musky and sweet,” says Arboretum volunteer Bob Dunning. “Some deciduous azaleas have fragrance and some don’t. Most of the hybrids in cultivation never had or lost their fragrance as the breeders preferred larger flowers or better foliage.”

Dunning is passionate about the Arboretum’s Smith-Mossman Western Azalea Display Garden —one of the largest collections of deciduous Western azaleas in the world — where blooms peak through early June.

“I love the fragrance of the flowers,” Dunning says. “Year after year the blossoms return, evoking memories and recapitulating an annual cycle of events that has endured through eons.”

Under Dunning’s direction and with help from the city of Maple Valley, the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Arboretum volunteers, over one hundred Western azaleas were moved from the properties of Washington residents Britt Smith and Dr. Frank Mossman to the Arboretum.

Since its dedication in June 2000, the garden features over 200 selections of this single species.

“Now, we’re are adding native conifers that bloom at different times, to balance the garden’s year-round appeal,” Dunning said.

Reach Arboretum staff at LakeWildrenessArboretum.org, info@lakewildernessarboretum.org or 253- 293-5103 to volunteer or donate.