Rhododendron and
Azalea News

Bronze Medal awardees

Based on the editor's information, Bronze Medals were limited in the last quarter from all chapters. In the event someone has been slighted, sorry, we will catch you on the next go-around. We are ever so proud of those individuals who have given, are giving, and will continue to give dedicated service to the American Rhododendron Society.

Deaths

H. Edward Reiley, former ARS president

H. Edward Reiley died March 16, 2008. He was a retired educator, with a bachelor's degree in horticulture and had been an active member of the American Rhododendron Society since 1969. He served as president of the American Rhododendron Society and was awarded the Gold Medal in 2004.

He operated a small nursery specializing in field-grown rhododendrons and azaleas. He and his wife, Mary, developed a private four-acre garden where he was evaluating new cultivars among thousands of plants. He has authored several books on horticulture, including his excellent book, Success with Rhododendrons and Azaleas, Second Edition.

He was a hallmark in the Society and is going to be missed for his counsel. Services were held in Walkersville, Maryland, on March 21.

Gordon Heyduck
Casade Chapter

Our good friend and charter member, Gordon H. Heyduck, of the Cascade Chapter has died.

Gordon was born on March 4, 1916, in Elgin, Oregon, and died quietly on February 9, 2008. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1937 and was discharged just prior to the United States entry into World War II. He went to work for Puget Sound Power & Light, using the training he received as an electrician’s mate. He also worked part time at the Weyerhaeuser Mill in Snoqualime. He reenlisted in the Navy in 1944 and ended with the war in Okinawa in 1945. After the war, he returned to PSPL where he worked until he retired. In 1941 Gordon married Mildred Bell Maxwell and they remained happily married until her death in 1997.

Throughout his life he had a love for the outdoors where he enjoyed hiking, fishing, and hybridizing rhododendrons. He was very active in Boy Scouts with his three sons and received the Order of the Arrow in recognition of his guidance and service to scouting.

Over the years Gordon created several hundred rhododendron hybrids. He had several hybrids that were not only beautiful...but fragrant. Several of us are growing on his plants. He never registered his plants...but one...Gordon's Trophy...named by Clint Smith...can be found at some nurseries. He freely shared his plants with friends and members of the ARS.

Gordon and Millie were long-time members of the Seattle Chapter of the ARS, and charter members of the Cascade Chapter. He was very active and served on the boards of both.

My wife, Carolyn, and I did not get to know Gordon until after Millie's death when we became very close. He and Elsie Watson had made a pact to live to be 100. When I visited him several days before his death, I reminded him of that pact. He told me, "Dammit, Don, my mind is willing...but my body is not going to cooperate." He was a good friend...and will be missed.

--Don Smart

Clara M. Ottaway
Willamette Chapter

One of our chapter's charter members, Clara M. Ottaway, Dallas, Texas, died February 7, 2008. Her husband, Hollis, had been a county agent for Marion County, passed away earlier in 2007. The Ottaways were long-term lovers of rhodies and involved with the Cecil and Molly Smith development of what is now the Smith Garden.

Dr. Elwin Orton receives 2007 Edison Patent Award

Dr. Elwin Orton, Princeton Chapter, was recently awarded the 2007 Thomas A. Edison Patent Award for his patent on the Venus c dogwood entitled “Interspecific Cornus Hybrid Designated KN300-8”. The Canopy, a publication of the New Jersey Arborists, Chapter of the International Society of Arborist, notes that "Dr. Orton's leadership in breeding of perennial ornamental is well established within the horticulture industry and among his peers. This year's Edison Patent Award comes on the heels of the prestigious Luther Burbank Award to Dr. Orton last year."

The Princeton Chapter is very proud of Dr. Orton and the contributions he has made to their chapter.

Dr. Richard Gustafson's challenge: A thirst for information

Peg Van Patton, president of the Princeton Chapter, wants to share something very special from the pen of Dr. Richard Gustafson. These are her interesting remarks. They are important to have the full value of Dick's article.

A Thirst for Information...I like that title...not just because I'm a teacher...but because it's the title of an article written some years ago by our friend, the late Dick Gustafson. I saved it because it seemed to say then...even as it does now...something about the importance of reading and learning about rhododendrons. Or as Dick put it...about "peripheral subjects...companion plants, landscaping, propagation, plant diseases"...and how..."seeking and finding appropriate text and pictures may be an important adjunct to a complete appreciation of this specialized interest we share."

my reasons for sharing...

I have copied his article for you to read, realizing that many of the books may be out of print, the catalogs and companies no longer in business, the people he refers to no longer with us. (Scholar that he was, I know he would object...until he had had the opportunity to correct and update the information. For that, I offer my apologies.)

challenge...read...read...read...

But...there is a larger point to made here...and there's something very real...very true about his comments that have more to do with learning itself. If I could inspire you in any way this year, it would be to take up some of the books that are still in print...or any of the hundreds of new ones published everyday. Read on...MacDuff!

develop thirst for avocation...

The importance of appropriate reading material in the development of enthusiasm for an avocation is often overlooked. Many ARS members recently brought to the fold...particularly those normally attracted to scholarly pursuits...very quickly develop a thirst for information on rhododendrons and peripheral subjects...companion plants, landscaping, propagation, plant diseases. The degree to which this need is satisfied may be a significant determinant in the longevity and vigor of the neophyte's interest.

That is not to say that stimulating chapter programs and productive interaction with knowledgeable fellow enthusiasts are not at least equally important.

ARS Journal valuable tool...

The arrival of the Journal American Rhododendron Society is anticipated with pleasure by many new members...and some try to acquire as many old copies as possible. The most inspired searchers may occasionally find fairly complete collections of the ARS Journals or Quarterly Bulletins...as they were called before 1982. Those lucky enough to find a large collection should send to the ARS for the 10- to 25-year index. These provide easy access to important...and, perhaps...obscure bits of information, descriptions or photographs of particular cultivars, and various other gems of knowledge.

books...books so important...

Chapter book programs seem to be the best sources for new members to quickly enhance their expertise. Potential purchasers may examine books before deciding to buy...a major advantage. Everyone gains from an active book program…the chapter and the ARS...when member interest is stimulated, and the member himself diligently searching for a satisfactory supply of useful information.

There are currently more than two dozen books in print dealing exclusively with rhododendrons or azaleas. Many others are less specialized...but valuable to the hobbyist aspiring to be well informed.

A few books rise to the top of the list and should be considered by enthusiasts planning even a modest library on the subject. David Leach's Rhododendrons of the World is now nearly thirty years old...has no color photographs...and the cost of the new printing puts it in the expensive category. Nevertheless, it is in a class by itself...a scholarly effort that is complete in every respect.

Leach has used a considerable knowledge and his impressive skills with the English language to produce a book whose value will last. This is the one to have...if you're having only one.

book to have if shipwrecked...

The volume to take with you...if you’re planning to be shipwrecked...is Livingston and West's Hybrids and Hybridizers. It can be read for pure pleasure...and is also an important source of information for Eastern collectors. Make sure that you read the letters from Guy Nearing to Joe Gable. They provide rare insight into the character of these remarkable men. Read...and enjoy.

In the same historical vein...but with a British flavor...is the wonderful book by Peter Barber and C. E. Lucas Phillips, The Rothschild Rhododendrons. This 1967 classic has consistent high quality and stunning photographs that may distract you from a very well written and fascinating story. It may now be purchased in England for twenty pounds sterling...which translates to a bargain compared to its American price. Readers will learn about the creations of Lionel de Rothschild at Exbury and a bygone era of rhododendron hybridizing, a period of estates, inexpensive labor, and vast financial resources.

Recent publications that catalog commercially available hybrids are useful to collectors...and especially to hybridizers.

Two come immediately to mind: Encyclopedia of Rhododendron Hybrids by Peter and Kenneth Cox...and Rhododendron Hybrids by Homer Salley and Harold Greer. The former is a book complete with opinions, distilled from the Coxs' own views and those of a group of American experts. Whether or not you agree with the assessments provided, plant critiques are useful and are rarely available in published works on rhododendrons. Another plus is the listing of named siblings of descried varieties. The earlier publications of Peter Cox are also important and thorough references.

The Salley/Greer book is another source of unique features. These include pedigrees of over 4,000 cultivars, several appendices of interest to collectors, and 60 color photographs varying from pretty good to excellent.

Less expensive soft cover publications with pictures and descriptions are also available and they invariably are the most popular when measured buy total sales. Included are: Van Veen's Rhododendrons in America, Greer's Guidebook of Available Rhododendrons and Kraxberger's American Rhododendron Hybrids.

two treasured gems in my library...

Two fine unpretentious publications occupy important niches in my library. Neither has photographs or hard covers.

One is The Dexter Estate by Cowles. This tells of C. O. Dexter and the wonderful hybrids he produced on a patch in New England. The story leads us through the years to the Heritage Plantation of today...the former Dexter estate. The Cowles book provides valuable insight into the plant material used by Dexter in the creation of his hybrids.

The other modest book is John Sabucco's, The Hardiest of the Hardy. This deals with a wide variety of genera, including Rhododendron, and should be indispensable to people with gardens assaulted by fierce winter weather. It is a scholarly work on an essential subject.

Other books about specialized plant categories include: Jaynes' Kalmia, The Laurel Book II; Davidian's Lepidotes; Galle's Azaleas, Welchis' Manual of Dwarf Conifers, and Ingwersen's Manual of Alpine Plants. Also highly recommended are the booklets from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, especially Propagation for the Home Gardener, and Rhododendrons and their Relatives.

and add nursery catalogs...

One category of information may be free...or almost free. These are the many catalogs from rhododendron nurseries that provide information on parentage, hardiness, mature, size, color, blooming times, and sometimes rather poetic descriptions. These latter, as well as hardiness ratings, may be at times less than accurate...but the nurseryman should not be criticized. Judgment on plants grown in temperate climates may not hold for the same variety struggling in a harsher region.

I need to acknowledge that Greer, Van Venn, Halls, the Benjamins, the Beasleys, Cummins, Roslyn, Briarwood Gardens, Weston Nurseries, and others still generously participate in my education...often with no tuition...in the way of orders for plants. Periodicals also should be considered and two of the best are: The Rosebay published semi-annually by the Massachusetts Chapter, and Rhododendrons with Magnolias and Camellias, an annual release from the Royal Horticultural Society.

seek and find right books...

Recommending rhododendron books is a little like presenting opinions on music…or novels...or movies. It may be a personal thing, influenced by particular interests and prejudices.

I confess to a weakness for books about the early hybridizers and their creations. Perhaps knowledgeable readers would emphasize other books...but they would agree that seeking and finding appropriate text and pictures may be an important adjunct to a complete appreciation of this specialized interest that we share.

Thanks, Peg, for reminding all of us...the importance of reading and reading excellent materials...guess we do need to return to MacDuff!

Spring thoughts with Robert Browning

The year’s at the spring,
And day’s at the morn.

- Pippa Passes