Rhododendron Festival returns to Cape Cod. Here's what to know for this year's event.

In the late 1920s, retired textile manufacturer Charles Owen Dexter bought an estate on Cape Cod after being advised by his doctor to enjoy his years after receiving a diagnosis of a dire heart condition.

He decided to pursue a life of being a “gentleman farmer” and wound up creating over 200,000 varieties of rhododendrons. Described as "considered to be among the finest rhododendrons for home landscapes” in a 1946 New York Times article, the hybrids bloom each year from early May to mid-June in the gardens of what is now the Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich.

Each year, Heritage celebrates the spectacle of color and scents filling the fresh spring air with the Rhododendron Festival, an 11-day event (May 17 - 27) showcasing the beautiful blooms.

“It's a magical experience that is difficult to replicate anywhere else,” said Heather Mead, chief of programming for the Heritage Museums & Gardens. “Every year is slightly different and it's like the celebratory start of spring.”

Rhododendron Festival returns to Sandwich from May 17 to 27 this year

Across the festival, visitors can witness the 160 Dexter and J. C. Cowles' rhododendrons, named after the superintendent of the Dexter Estate who hybridized the plants through the 1960s. There are also thousands of unnamed varieties in full bloom as walking tours lead guests through the gardens.

Each day, guests are invited to pick up the self-guided tour map and wander on their own through the gardens or participate in guided tours which set off at 11 a.m. from the Dexter Display Garden.

On the guided tours, educators lead guests on a 30-minute walk around the garden, showing off some of the most famous Dexter rhododendrons. Some varieties to keep an eye out for, according to Mead, are Dexter's most famous, the Scintillation, and one of her personal favorite’s, Dexter’s Orange and Spice.

“There's just a huge variety and I think that's one of the things that people come to Heritage for,” Mead said. “...To be able to see all of them together is something that makes it really special.”

Art cart for painters is new this year

Plus, guests are invited to paint their own watercolors at the “art cart,” a new addition to the festival. Tied with their current exhibition “Impressionist New England,” guests will be provided with a watercolor “altoid tin” equipped with paints, a small brush and a reservoir for water plus paper to create their own impressionist paintings of their surroundings.

“The thing that I love about using watercolors … and painting in an impressionist style (is) you don't have to have a lot of art-making experience to be able to capture a beautiful impression,” Mead said. “So I think visitors will walk away with something that they're proud of having made.”

Museum educators will also be offering advice and tips for how to care for your own rhododendrons at certain times in the day. The museum also has a whole webpage dedicated to caring for “spring’s favorite flower” on their website.

“The rhododendron is a plant that really loves Cape Cod,” Mead said.

For a full lineup of festival events, visit www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/. Admission to the festival is included with museum admission ($22 for adults, $12 for children 3 to 17, children 2 and under free.) Tickets can be purchased online or in person. The Heritage Museums and Gardens is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 67 Grove St. in Sandwich.

Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Heritage Gardens rhododendron festival is legacy of Charles O. Dexter