QBARS - v19n1 Garden Tours Planned For Annual Meeting

Garden Tours Planned For The Annual Meeting, May 1965
Dorothy Schlaikjer

The following gardens will be open on Friday, May 22nd.

Garden of Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Burns, Syosset, Long Island, N.Y.

For the past ten years, Mr. and Mrs. Burns have been developing a beautiful rhododendron collection which now contains over four hundred varieties. Among these are most of the Shammarello hybrids, many Nearing and Gable varieties, a collection of Hobbie hybrids, as well as Hardgrove introductions such as his outstanding 'Barbara Hardgrove', 'Anne Hardgrove' and 'Golden Star'.

These and other companion plants have been arranged in pleasant landscape effects. One path leads over a rustic foot bridge to a charming vista, the camera fans' delight. Mr. Burns propagates hundreds of plants from cuttings, and experiments with hybridizing. His R. racemosum x R. keiskei cross is noteworthy. The collection includes interesting Knaphill and Exbury seedlings. The Burns are enthusiastic "do it yourself" gardeners. Mr. Burns business location on Long Island affords him extra daylight hours, spring and summer, to pursue his hobby.

Estate of Mr. & Mrs. Ferdinand Eberstadt, Lloyd Neck, Long Island, N. Y.

Target Rock Farm gets its name from the location of the British fleet's gun calibration target during the British occupation of Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor waters in the Revolutionary period of Long Island history. Here among tall trees on gently sloping terrain are large specimen rhododendron plants in a delightful, informal setting, under planted with wild flowers and ferns. A picturesque stream has been added for a pleasant landscape effect. The garden includes Dexter hybrids from the collection of the late Sam Everett. Also, acquired by 1959 from Donald Hardgrove's collection, were Nearing's 'Beatrice Pierce', Gable's 'Lamifor', several English hybrids such as 'Albatross', 'Beauty of Littleworth', several rhododendron species as well as Dexter seedlings and many of the Hardgrove hybrid crosses.

Garden of Mr. & Mrs. Nathaniel Hess, Sands Point, Long Island, N.Y.

Mr. and Mrs. Hess have one of the finest collections of rhododendron on the East Coast. The eight acre tract is situated on a north shore peninsula overlooking Long Island Sound and Hempstead Harbor. The Hess plantings flourish in sandy loam under tall oak and tulip trees, protected by the surrounding native woodland. The tempering effect of the water of Long Island Sound favors the culture of a large collection of exotic or so-called tender varieties. Among these are specimen plants of 'Earl of Athlone', the 'Loderis', 'Naomis', many R. campylocarpum hybrids and crosses, late blooming plants like 'Bonito', and English varieties such as 'Thunderstorm' and 'A. Bedford'.

Garden of Mr. & Mrs. Hugo Schlaikjer, Halesite, Long Island, N.Y.

This is one of the four original Dexter hybrid test gardens on Long Island, formerly owned by the late John C. Parker. Once a vacation retreat, this amateur horticulturist's paradise has been, for the past thirteen years, the year round home of the Schlaikjers. Here may be seen many "one of a kind" Dexter hybrids, now thirty or more years old, which had bloomed at Sandwich, Mass., and which Mr. Dexter personally recommended to the Parkers, as especially good plants. Mrs. Schlaikjer is propagating selected forms of these Dexters, and adding approved varieties to the collection. Species and other rare plants enjoy the natural hilly woodland setting. The Schlaikjers manage these nine acres without help, as a spare time hobby. Mr. Schlaikjer commutes to New York City for business, and frequent business trips abroad limit his week-end gardening time. In an area of fast growing housing developments holding onto this tract seems worth the sacrifice.