Deep Dive Tours at Leach Research Station
Join us each month for a deep dive into the thousands of plants in our collection at Leach Research Station. In June, we're exploring late-blooming rhododendrons and azaleas.
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With over 2,300 accessioned plants, the David G. Leach Research Station is a treasure trove of unique trees, shrubs, and other botanical gems.
New this spring, join Rhododendron Collections Manager Connor Ryan for a monthly tour of the grounds, focusing on a different plant group or theme each time. Learn about each plant’s biology, identification, and use in the landscape, then join us for light refreshments and conversation after the tour. All tours include informational handouts to help bring your learning home.
Terrain: up to 1.0 mile, natural surface and grass, mostly flat, potential mud and wet spots depending on weather.
Time: 10 a.m. – noon
Location: Leach Research Station in Madison, Ohio (Directions will be sent by email to prior to the program date.)
Dates:
June 19 | After the Dust Settles: Plants to Continue the Show
July 17 | Seeing the Forest for the Trees: The Overstory at Leach Research Station
August 21 | Not Yo’ Mama’s Hydrangea
More dates coming soon!
After the Dust Settles: Plants to Continue the Show
Friday, June 19, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Price: $10 per member, $20 per nonmember
As the uproar of spring in our rhododendron garden settles down, some plants continue to bloom or are just beginning. Explore the collections at the Leach Research Station to see later blooming rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as numerous other companion plants that extend the spring show in late spring and early summer.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees: the Overstory at Leach Research Station
Friday, July 17, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Price: $10 per member, $20 per nonmember
The canopy at the Leach Station is essential to the health and prosperity of the collection beneath. Explore the trees overhead, some native to the property and some planted, to gain a new appreciation for a vital part of the station. Learn common and uncommon tall and mid-level trees, how to identify them, and their use in the landscape.
Not Yo’ Mama’s Hydrangea
Friday, August 21, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Price: $10 per member, $20 per nonmember
A wide variety of hydrangeas grow in the understory among the rhododendrons at Leach Research Station. Like rhododendrons, they thrive in dappled light. Explore the diversity of hydrangeas, learn about their biology and native habitats, and gain some new ideas for your home garden. We will visit uncommon, seldom encountered hydrangeas in our region, as well as some garden classics.
Connor Ryan, MS
Rhododendron Collections Manager
My group is engaged in three things at Holden: curating the Rhododendron collection, breeding landscape plants, and stewarding the David G. Leach Research Station. Current collections focuses include North American native rhododendrons and azaleas, especially R. flammeum, R. prunifolium, and the Ohio natives, as well as any non-native species that may be adapted to our climate. Breeding focuses are on broader adaptability in elepidote rhododendrons, reblooming in evergreen azaleas, and a few smaller projects with Pieris and Hamamelis. We strongly believe in the value of living collections and are happy to share non-proprietary germplasm or accommodate collections-based scholarship. If you work for a botanical garden or nursery interested in rhododendrons (or azaleas) or are a scholar studying them, please get in touch. We would love to help with your work.
