QBARS - v15n4 Results of the Second Annual Great Lakes Chapter Rhododendron Show

Results of the Second Annual Great Lakes Chapter Rhododendron Show
Cleveland, Ohio

The second annual Rhododendron Show of the Great Lakes Chapter was held at the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, on May 27th and May 28th with Paul Bosley, Sr. and Peter Girard, Sr. as co-chairmen.

The session was approximately two weeks late at the time of the show, the most abnormal in the memory of any of the professional nurserymen who make up a large part of the Chapter's membership, and it was at first feared that it would be impossible to stage a creditable display. Further, the 1961 season followed the coldest winter in this region since the 1880's.

The loyal support of the Chapter's members resulted in a remarkably good show, filling the large exhibition rooms of the Garden Center with color from Rhododendrons and Azaleas which may never again still be in bloom on the usual show dates at the end of May. Even R. schlippenbachii , the earliest deciduous Azalea successful in this climate, was shown. Perhaps still more remarkable, hybrids of R. mucronulatum and of racemosum were exhibited. The midseason cultivars which would ordinarily constitute 90% of the entries were almost entirely missing. Class 1, Catawba Hybrids in Commerce, which would normally be the largest single class in the show with hundreds of exhibits, had less than a dozen. Class 2, Catawbiense hybrid Seedlings Not in Commerce, which last year attracted 70 entries, this year had about a half dozen.

In lieu of the material usually seen Judges O. S. Pride, Lewis Lipp and Kathryn Loesch were presented with large numbers of Azaleas and of scaly leaved Rhododendrons to consider in making awards. The deep carmine Rh. 'General Eisenhower', a Dutch hybrid, won for Dr. Louis Martin the First President's Sterling Award for Best in Show. Rh. 'Lavender Lady', exhibited by its creator, Mr. A. M. Shammarello, easily bested its competition for the cup for the best R. catawbiense hybrid in commerce, and Paul Bosley, Sr., won the cup for the best Catawba hybrid not in commerce with an imposing pink Dexter hybrid, No. BD 1016.

The numerous entries of a new exhibitor, Mr. Ernest Stanton, owner of Westcroft Gardens at Grosse Ile, Michigan attracted much attention from both Chapter members and from the both Azaleas and Rhododendrons, won public. Mr. Stanton, a hybridizer of first, second and third in the important Class 31, New Hybrid Seedlings Exhibited by the Breeder, and received numerous awards in other classes.

Mr. E. Stroombeek managed the gardens and arrangements of B&B blooming plants. Dr. Lewis Martin supervised the classification of entries for the show. Mr. Frank A. Meyers, with the assistance of Mrs. Lewis Lipp and Mrs. Woods King, arranged the tours by bus of outstanding gardens in the Cleveland region and scheduled other activities throughout the clay with an efficiency and precision which delighted our members. Miss Viola Briner and Mr. Ashley Norcross of the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland handled the publicity for the show and contributed their advice and time in other ways to insure its success.