Welcome to the Middle Atlantic Chapter (MAC)

of the American Rhododendron Society (ARS)

⁸MIDDLE ATLANTIC AND POTOMAC VALLEY CHAPTERS

American Rhododendron Society

SPRING MEETING

A District Meeting for the Rhododendron Society

The Potomac Valley Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is hosting a three-day meeting in Annapolis, MD, from April 28 - 30, 2024. We have invited the other two ARS Chapters in our District 9, the Middle Atlantic Chapter and the Mason-Dixon Chapter, as well as members of the new Delaware Valley Chapter ARS. We are also extending an invitation to members of our local ASA chapters and additional gardening friends. Our featured attraction will be Historic London Town & Gardens which includes a lovely landscaped park situated on a scenic knoll overlooking the South River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. We will also be touring three other exquisite private gardens in the Annapolis area. Please join us for this rare opportunity to renew old friendships and make new friends as we admire some beautiful rhododendron and azalea gardens in the region.

Our meeting will be staged at the Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel by Radisson in Annapolis. It is conveniently located in a quiet part of town away from heavy traffic areas and close to the gardens we will be touring. Please note that we will start our program on Sunday evening which should allow attendees an easier time to get to Annapolis and avoid traffic problems that can develop during the work week in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore Metro areas. By starting our meeting on Sunday, we also obtained significant savings on the hotel rooms. Our conference rate will be only $99 a night plus tax and that does include breakfast.

Knowing how expensive conferences can be, we have been trying to make this meeting as affordable as possible. The single registration fee of $210 per person covers everything including all meals and bus transportation for two days of Garden Tours. We have sought first class caterers in the Annapolis area to provide lunches and the banquet meals. Check the Schedule for details on the meal options since attendees must make selections on the registration form in advance. We want this meeting to be a casual event so we are allowing plenty of time to socialize. Our tours are not rushed and we expect them to leave at 9:30 AM and return by 3:30 PM each day. Unfortunately, our chapter is not set up for credit card payments or online registration so please pay by check when you register for the meeting.

We will have two speakers. On Sunday night, after a reception featuring heavy hors d'oeuvres with wine and cheese, Don Hyatt will give an introduction to the Marshy Point Azaleas and other items featured in the plant sale. The sale will open that evening and will be available at other times as well. Our Banquet keynote on Monday night will be Tony Dove who designed the original landscape plantings at London Town.

Please register early. The hotel has set aside a block of 25 rooms at our special rate of $99. When those rooms are gone or until after March 31 which is our registration deadline, attendees will have to pay the going rate at the hotel. We can accept late registrations until April 18 but it will be on a space available basis. Due to restrictions at the hotel and other venues, we have to limit attendance so our target range is from 50 to at most 70 persons. We hope you will be one of those people and can join us for a fun and carefree celebration of spring in Annapolis.