Memorial Bench Honors Garden's Heritage

A special gift has recently arrived at Meerkerk Gardens.

A wood, sculpted memorial bench has been placed near the gatehouse/welcome center. The Rhododendron flower bench is in loving memory of our parents, Joseph and Vernette Rebman, who were good and generous people.  They both loved gardening, and Mother especially loved flowers.  She had an artistic touch, especially in floral painting, which neither my husband, Lee Rebman, nor I has. 

Fate interceded last summer when Lee and I were volunteering for the mundane but necessary task of parking duty for the Whidbey Island Garden Tour. This task allowed us to view the beautiful sculptures done by Pat McVay at the garden. His sculptures stayed in my mind and evolved into the idea of a memorial bench for our parents that could be enjoyed at Meerkerk.  Consequently, we commissioned Pat to sculpt a flower bench, and he did, using a 500-year-old cedar log; the flowers for mom and a bench for dad. Dad was very practical, so a bench to rest and reflect in the garden seemed fitting. Pat’s artistry created a truly beautiful memorial to two lovely parents.

Four flowers were selected to represent rhododendrons in Meerkerk Gardens that are connected to significant past members of Meerkerk.  The white flower is from “Meerkerk Magic, “ which is the only rhododendron with the Meerkerk name and was hybridized by Frank Fujioka. The blue flower is from “Don Lee’s Blue Star.”  Don Lee was a past president who sustained Meerkerk through some very lean years, and it too was hybridized by Frank Fujioka. The red flower is from “Tabitha, “ which flowers in the winter and was hybridized by Elsie Watson. The yellow flower is from “Seaview Sunset,” my personal favorite, which was also hybridized by Frank Fujioka.

When selecting the flower colors, we also wanted to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America, thus the red, white, and blue flowers. Dad and Mom were very patriotic.

We invite you to visit Meerkerk, sit on the flower bench, and enjoy the gardens. May it be a place of rest and replenishment. May it bring back fond memories, as it does for us.

Fondly,
Maria Cablao and Lee Rebman