The time for viewing rhododendrons in Meadville is now. This very minute. This is a radical statement, but put down the paper and make your way to Greendale Cemetery, the campus of Allegheny College or anywhere rhodies rule. It’s never going to get better than this.

According to Mary Vogan, who manages Greendale Cemetery with her husband, Jim, there is no time to waste. “The peak season is this weekend and continuing into next week,” she said Friday, noting that at this point, either severe heat or driving rain could end this exceptionally spectacular season abruptly.

“It’s a good thing we had that severe rain Thursday — because they hadn’t reached their peak,” she continued. “Once rhododendrons are in full bloom and open for a day or so, they’re tender. Since they weren’t in bloom yet, they came through the storm well. Everything looks good.”

No one is pushing anyone, dear readers, to rush to the top of Randolph Street for prime rhodie viewing. In this town, spectacular specimens are not hard to come by.

However, it should be noted that Greendale’s rhododendron collection, which got its formal start back in 1875, was named a national “Hero of Horticulture” by the Cultural Landscape Foundation just two years ago.

Oh yes. Once you’re there, Vogan strongly recommends getting out of the vehicle and walking around. If you can talk a dog into coming along, so much the better. “Sometimes you don’t realize how large these bushes are unless you walk around them,” she said.

Celebrate the rhododendron

During the past several years, an effort loosely termed the Rhododendron Project has been gaining momentum. As a tribute to her late husband, George, Lorraine Yuhasz of Blooming Valley Nursery has arranged for hundreds of rhododendrons to be donated to the city since 2007. Last year, for example, she arranged for 200 rhododendrons to be donated by the R. Budd Dwyer Foundation. Funding for the planting was provided by the Emmaline D. Barco Beautifi-cation Fund Trust Under Will of George J. Barco.

Inspired by the idea of Meadville becoming a rhododendron destination, Pennsyl-vania Environmental Council recently applied for funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation to purchase and plant rhododendrons to continue the effort to transform Meadville into the rhododendron capital of the world. Andy Walker, executive director of PEC’s Meadville office, formerly known as French Creek Project, announced last week that the $1,000 grant has been received.

According to Rick Williams, the city’s development management, the city is now in the process of determining how many plants can be purchased and where they’ll be placed. “I’m not sure if it’s too late for spring planting,” he said Friday. “If so, we’ll wait until fall.”

At Greendale, rhododendrons are just one of a long list of plants and trees that can be purchased and planted on the grounds in memory of a loved one. “There’s a program where for $300 we will plant a tree of the donor’s choice — or we’ll decide ourselves — on the cemetery grounds,” Vogan explained. “We’ll also place a granite marker indicating who the memorial is for.

An effort is also under way to immortalize the Greendale grounds in the form of a calendar. For the second year, cemetery officials are seeking entries in a photography contest. Their goal is to collect enough photographs to be able to create a calendar with seasonally-appropriate photographs illustrating each month. According to Vogan, the calendar will debut in 2010.

For details on the photo contest and information about the cemetery, visit www.greendalecemetery.org.

Contributions to the nonprofit, public cemetery are also always welcome, according to Vogan. Anyone wanting to make a donation can send it to Greendale Cemetery, 700 Randolph St., Meadville, Pa. 16335.