While springtime is subtly announced in most people's gardens by the delicate buds of May, it is positively heralded on Mayor of Muttontown Richard Murcott's property as his three acres of rhododendrons come into full bloom.

The vast expanse of rhododendrons that adorn Mr. Murcott's residence are the natural result of his life-long passion for the plant. For approximately 40 years, Mr. Murcott has been active in planting, maintaining and hybridizing rhododendrons as well as many other species of plants and flowers. Admired by his peers for his vast knowledge and interest in rhododendrons and his longtime membership in the New York Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, Mr. Murcott is considered by many to be an authority on the shrub.

"He's always been a very highly regarded member of the New York chapter," said Brookville resident Albert Muller, a fellow member of the American Rhododendron Society.

The rhododendron, which Mayor Murcott describes as having a "magnificent bloom," is a woody perennial. Considered an evergreen broadleaf plant, the plant grows between 6 and 10 feet and develops white, pink, purple or red flower clusters called trusses. The many varieties of rhododendrons bloom at different times of the year. "If you pick your cultivars correctly, you can have flowers in your garden all the way from late March to late August," Mr. Murcott said.

He added that Long Island soil is ideal for rhododendron growth because of its acidity and organic matter content.

Mr. Murcott first became interested in rhododendrons in 1962 while gardening for a Syosset resident who had a love for rhododendrons. When he bought his current house in Muttontown in 1970, Mayor Murcott had to clear nearly two acres of woods to make way for his rhododendron garden.

Thirty five years later, Mr. Murcott still maintains his own garden, spending approximately seven hours a week in the summer to keep his plants in a healthy state. Among the various gardening tasks, Mr. Murcott fertilizes his plants in late February, and uses herbicide to kill the weeds. Mr. Murcott also hybridizes rhododendrons, a process in which the pollen from an ornamental rhododendron is put onto a hardy rhododendron to produce sturdy offspring with beautiful flowers. In June, Mr. and Mrs. Murcott plan to "deadhead," a process in which old, spent flowers are removed from the plant. While Mr. Murcott recognizes that the maintenance of his garden is a huge task, he remains enthusiastic about the upcoming season.

"I'm looking forward to having to deadhead that whole garden," he said. "I try not to look at the whole thing and get discouraged at all that has to be done."

Mr. Murcott shared his enthusiasm with other American Rhododendron Society members on Saturday, May 14, when he led a tour of his grounds. The following day, Mr. Murcott gave a lecture at Planting Fields Arboretum State Park as part of a program called "Rhododendron Days" - a yearly program to promote Planting Fields Arboretum and provide gardening advice and education about rhododendrons to the public - in which he demonstrated how to plant a purchased rhododendron. "If grown properly they are a spectacular plant...but you have to know how to grow them," he said.

Mr. Murcott explained in his lecture that the rhododendrons sold at "big box" stores like Home Depot and Costco are grown using commercial techniques that force the plant to grow three times faster than it would grow in the ground. Such plants, he said, often die when transplanted into the soil. However, if they are planted in September when the soil is warm to encourage root growth and the air is cool to prevent dehydration, the plants have a much better chance of survival.

Giving lectures approximately two to three times a year, Mr. Murcott was described by Director of Planting Fields Arboretum Vincent Simeone as "an extremely good lecturer."

However active Mayor Murcott may be in lecturing, though, he declines from judging rhododendron competitions, claiming that such competitions are not good for the development of the plant. "It pushes everyone to emphasize too much the truss and not the entire picture of the plant," Mr. Murcott said, adding that he believes himself to be the only person in the world who feels that way.

In addition to his membership in the American Rhododendron Society, Mr. Murcott is a permanent master judge of the Chrysanthemum Society, as well as a member of the Holly Society of America and a Begonia Society in Great Britain.