Native Rhododendron demonstration sites have been expanded into Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga, Wilkes, and Alexander counties from Mitchell, Yancey, and Avery counties of years past. There are twenty-one new growers in 2003 with sites that they have been granted. Our growers are supplied with plants, mulch, and shade cloth and are offered technical assistance from Extension Agents in each county. Extension Agents are crucial to the demonstration site aspect of our project. They work as liaison between Project Branch Out and the growers.
     

     These sites have been made possible by a grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation. The goal with the sites is to reintroduce native rhododendron to the nursery industry, by helping growers propagate these species rather than harvest them from the wild. These plants are critical components of our ecosystem and draw visitors to our bioregion.      

     By planting these demonstration sites, growers have the opportunity to test native rhododendrons as an alternative crop to Christmas trees and tobacco. The plants they set will be marketable in 3-5 years of their planting. Native rhododendrons show great promise for the nursery industry of Western North Carolina.