RSBG Volunteers Make a Difference!

Volunteers have been an integral part of the RSBG since its earliest days. They help moved the plant collection from its original home in Oregon, layout and plant the Garden, and get this unique organization started. Today our volunteer team assists the staff in the garden, nursery, gift shop, office and with special events. These folks provide the equivalent of more than three employees! The staff is grateful for their time and our volunteers are much appreciated. We invite you to join them! Please call the office at 253-838-4646 for more information.

Current Volunteer Opportunities 

Flower and Garden Shows

Volunteer to staff our booth at local shows, including the NW Flower & Garden Show. Answer questions, hand out membership information, garden brochures, plant catalogues and calendar of events. Volunteers receive free admission into all garden shows.

Garden Maintenance

Assist with general garden maintenance including planting, raking, weeding, mulching and dead-heading. No experience required. We provide hands-on training in proper pruning and planting techniques, landscape design, garden renovation, weed control, and more!

Gift Shop

If you enjoy customer service and interacting with the public this is for you! Responsibilities include greeting visitors and providing information, answering phone calls, counting the number of visitors and cashiering. Weekends are when we need the most assistance.

Handyman

Assist us with small on-going construction projects, building maintenance, plumbing and electrical repairs. If you would like to work with a group there is the "Thursday Crew" led by volunteer Paul Thompson. The Crew get together every Thursday to help with different projects.

Photography

The documentation of our plant collection and garden events is an ongoing project. The RSBG slide collection consists of over 1,400 slides taken by talented and enthusiastic photographers. Currently over 200 species in our collection need to be photographed.

Plant Sales Pavilion

Sell plants from our Plant Sales Pavilion. Answer questions, assist with restocking, pricing, watering and caring for plants. Books, photographs, and plant information are available to help answer customer questions. This is a great way to learn Rhododendron species and other plants.

Plant Sales - Annual Fundraisers

Volunteers and specialty nurseries participate in our exciting Spring and Fall Plant Sales in April and September. Cashiers, Parking Assistants, Plant Sales, Publicity, Set-up and Clean-up are a few of the opportunities available during these special events.

Tour Guide     

Share your knowledge and enthusiasm with our garden visitors. Tour guides receive hands-on training and tour guide manuals full of information about the history and purpose of the garden, Rhododendron species and other plants. Guided tours usually last 1 hour. Our greatest need for docents is in the spring from March through May.

WNARSP        Western North America Rhododendron Species Project

Explore the wilds of western Canada and the United States! Members of the WNARSP explore, research, and gather all available information on the native Rhododendron species. The main focus is locating the populations of these species, entering the data into a computer database, and creating maps of where they are found in the wild. Volunteers can participate by documenting the native rhododendron populations, join Project sponsored field trips, enter data, write articles, and organize images of flowers.