The dahlias are scored by official judges of the American Dahlia Society. Those that accumulate between 85 and 100 points are generally marketed the following year. Blooms begin in July, but August is the best time to view the garden in full bloom, when the plants will reach heights of over six feet. During construction in 1992, cobblestones from old Tacoma streets were used for the walls. Rhododendron Garden Designed as a natural display of rhododendrons in the wild, this garden is nestled in a stand of old growth forest.
Trails wind through the forest and intersect the garden.
The nearly five-acre site was established in 1968 in cooperation with the Tacoma Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, which continues to provide support. Puget Gardens North Alder Street, just south of Ruston Way, Tacoma Open daylight hours. Just a short walk from the Ruston Way waterfront is the unique Puget Gardens. Spring brings a blaze of bloom with three acres of azaleas, rhododendrons and species primroses. A footpath leads along a stream which meanders through the naturalistic plantings.