By Andrew Bunting, PHS Vice President of Horticulture
Ron Rabideau is a noted plantsman in the greater Philadelphia area. He grew up in Massachusetts and at an early age became interested in rhododendrons. He received a BS in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1983. Nearly 30 years ago in 1987 he began hybridizing rhododendrons. Two of his hybrids include ‘Absolute Citron’ and ‘Jersey Mammoth’. In 1997, he was hired by noted Rhododendron expert, Hank Shannen, to manage the fledgling mail order nursery, Rare Find Nursery. Over the years Ron grew this business into one of the most recognized mail order nurseries for rare and unusual woody plants. In addition to rhododendrons, the nursery was known for its wide selection of hydrangeas and magnolias.
Ron lives and gardens in Camden, New Jersey where his garden is a plant laboratory of sorts. In his small urban backyard Ron cultivates many unusual perennials, shrubs and trees. Ron’s passion for collecting plants is highlighted by his international plant exploration work. In 2000, he traveled to Yunnan, Sichuan and Hunan provinces in China with noted Camellia expert, Dr. Clifford Parks of Camellia Forest Nursery to study wild camellia collections. In 2002, he explored southeastern Tibet including the famous Doshong La. In 2005, he traveled with a group of rhododendron experts to the extremely remote northern Arunachal Pradesh, India and in 2007 he explored the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia.
Ron is now retired. Most recently he was an instructor at Mercer County Community College where he taught horticulture and managed the teaching and display garden. He is also a recent past president of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. Today, his passion for plants is as strong as ever. From the Rhododendron Society he grows on seedlings from the Society’s seed exchange. He is an avid photographer. He continues his travels and exploration and often participates in other societies including the Magnolia Society International.
And, at the most recent 2026 Flower Show he joined a small team to restart the Nomenclature Committee where they are responsible for making sure all the major exhibits including education exhibits have the proper plant names.
