QBARS - v19n4 16th Annual Show of the Seattle Chapter

16th Annual Show of The Seattle Chapter - MAY 21-23, 1965

A record attendance of about 15,000 visitors showed the enthusiasm of Seattleites and surrounding communities for our 16th Annual Show. It was beautifully arranged in the Ice Skating Pavilion at the Crossroads Shopping Center, Bellevue, Washington, with the advantage of open air coolness though covered overhead. With ideal cool weather there were no wilted plants, so the brilliant displays were the best ever.
Some visitors were from far away places - the Atlantic Chapter, Virginia and California. A chartered bus brought a full load from Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Show judges were Mrs. Robert Berry, Aberdeen, Wash., Mr. Merle Cisney, Camas, Wash., Mr. George Grace, Portland, Oregon, Mr. John Henny, Brooks, Oregon, Dr. J. W. Neill, Vancouver, B.C., Mr. H. J. Slonecker, Oak Grove, Oregon, and Mr. and Mrs. Wales Wood. St. Helens, Oregon.
General Co-Chairmen of the Show were Mr. and Mrs. James Madison. They had competent, hard-working committee chairmen, as well as many member volunteers, so necessary to a successful Show.
Chairmen were: Staging, John Putnam and Arthur 0. Luther; Commercial Exhibitors, Arthur Dome and William 0. Griswold; Amateur Exhibitors, Mr. Thomas O'Brube and Mrs. J. T. DeFriel; Show Program, Edwin Arntsen; Show Program and Advertising, F. C. Bloxom, Jr.; Judges and Judging, Mrs. Hugh Baird; Schedules and Awards, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Jacobson; Receiving and Classification, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson; Publicity, Mrs. Walter D. Smith; Hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rogers; Exhibitor Coordinators, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Butler; Show Design, Mrs. M. Chris (Maybelle) Johnson.

Rock 58 form of R. keleticum
Fig. 57.  The Rock 58 form of R. keleticum clambering over
a in the garden of Cecil Smith.
Photo by Cecil Smith

Winners of the handsome trophies were:

  • Frederick & Nelson Perpetual Cup for Best Landscape Design, Homestead Nursery.
  • Seattle Trust & Savings Perpetual Cup for Best Plant in Show, King of Shrubs Nursery for 'Mrs. Furnival'.
  • Greater Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Trophy for Best Amateur Truss in Show, Anthony Ressa for 'Cynthia'.
  • Lincoln First Federal Savings Amateur Sweepstakes Trophy, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson.
  • Seattle Rhododendron Society Annual Achievement Award for Best New Hybrid-Seedling, Lester Brandt for 'Loderi King George' x 'Goldsworth Orange'.
  • Griswold Nursery Trophy for Best Evergreen Azalea in Show, Mrs. Wendell Trosper for 'Pink Profusion'.
  • Mrs. William H. Culliton Trophy for Best Amateur Dwarf Rhododendron, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson for R. keleticum .
  • Crossroads Properties Trophy for Best Rhododendron Plant Exhibited by an Amateur, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, R. keleticum .
  • Mrs. Frederick Bunge Trophy for the Best Azalea Spray, Nancy Parker for 'Rosebud'.

Entrance to the Pavilion was available at east and west ends, and islands of displays wandered down the center, with more displays along the sides in broken arrangement. All landscaping beds were confined with railroad ties, giving neat uniformity. The cut truss section was full of brilliant and interesting blooms. There were forty specimen plants in that one section and over 500 cut trusses.
King of Shrubs Nursery won the award for Best Plant in Show, a very tall 'Mrs. Furnival' with a twisted trunk, loaded with blooms. In the background were a 'Loderi Pink Diamond' and tracery of tall vine maples, a weathered log, pebbles, and at one side a twelve foot tall 'Van Nes Sensation'. Also there were lovely plants of 'Mrs. E. C. Stirling' and in the foreground an 'Edward Dunn' and Kalmia latifolia .
A Special Award went to McAuliffe Nursery, displaying a magnificent R. 'Blue Peter'. Rocks and moss rimmed a pool, and a driftwood stump, with sculptured look, was set in the background. Effective use was made of Pinus contorta and Acer palmatum , with a very tall, well branched Acer circinatum for the background. Rhododendrons 'Prof. Hugo de Vries' and 'Dr. V. H. Rutgers' were shown, as well as azaleas 'Ledifolia alba', and 'Rosebud' (Gable).
Another Special Award went to the Lake Washington Garden Club. They showed an inviting doorway entrance with each side of the walk planted with low-growing moss as a bed for Ardesia japonica , Ferns, Primroses, two Pines, a R. 'Goldsworth Yellow', and dwarf rhododendrons such as keleticum , radicans , williamsianum . Also used were Menziesia and 'Exquisita' azaleas.
Homestead Nursery won First Award in its class, one of the largest exhibits. Displayed were three unusually large rhododendrons-'Lady Stuart of Wortley', 'Queen Mary' and 'Mrs. Furnival'. Some others were 'Mrs. Lionel de Rothschild', 'Madame Masson', 'Blue Peter', 'Mrs. A. T. de la Mare' and 'Countess of Derby'. Weathered logs and stumps were used in a pleasing design with a complete ground cover of mosses. Vacciniums and ferns grew on charred logs with plantings of dwarf Pines and Cork Firs. Beautiful shrubs, interspersed with the rhododendrons, were many varieties of Kalmia latifolia and dwarf Acer palmatum aureum . Azaleas in the design were 'Rosebud', 'Pinky Pearce', 'Gumpo Fancy' and 'Wendy'.
The Seattle Rhododendron Society Study Group had their usual interesting and educational exhibit. There was a very informative demonstration of the propagation of rhododendrons with cuttings, seedlings (in various stages) and layering. They displayed a group of species, with cards telling the background of each, from the very small hippophaeoides and impeditum to sutchuenense and fictolacteum .
Torben Barford Nursery won a Special Award with an unusual garden of rocks, all in lovely rounded shapes, of various sizes and colors. Plantings in the rocks included Acers, and a stunning low Abies nobilis glauca . Azaleas were the color accents, using 'Persil', 'Fireglow', 'Harvest Moon' and 'Satan'.
There was a Special Award also for the "PX" Nurseries with the largest rhododendron plant in the Show, a 'Cynthia' about ten feet tall and as wide, covered with glowing blooms. The exhibit featured an inviting chipped bark path with cedar rounds as stepping stones. Enkianthus and conifers, such as Thuya obtusa , Tsuga heterophylla , Cypress 'Falifera', Colorado Blue Spruce, were pleasingly interspersed with azaleas 'Seigetsu', 'Rosebud', 'Hakatoshiro' and 'Wendy'. The rhododendrons 'Pygmalion' and 'Kaulbach' were included. A delicate, lacy 'Japanese Red' Laceleaf Maple was especially beautiful.
Richmond Nurseries won a Special Award for its display of masses of rhododendrons. The design also included a trellis flanked by Chamaecyparis plumosa nana and Chamaecyparis pisifera filifera , a tall 'Crimson King' Maple, Laceleaf Maple, Pieris japonica , Nandina domestica and Raphiolepsis indica 'Springtime'. The colorful rhododendrons were 'Lady Bligh', 'Mother of Pearl', 'Cynthia', 'Goldbug', 'Goldfort', 'Blue Ensign', 'Anne Krushke', 'Mme. de Bruin', 'Daphnoides', 'Vulcan', 'Maricee', 'Cavalier', 'Countess of Derby' and 'America'.
A Special Award was made to Market Basket Nurseries for a "different" landscape design. Stepping stones were used with an effective placing of an oriental stone lantern and statue. There were many dwarf conifers, and rhododendrons displayed were: 'Ramona', 'Marinus Koster', 'Britannia', 'Gen. Eisenhower', 'Eureka Maid', 'Clementine Lemaire', 'Jan Dekens', 'Alice' and 'J. H. Van Nes'.
Blueberry Lake Nursery, with its use of a lovely Norway Spruce and other fine conifers such as Dwarf Nest Spruce, Juniper 'Aurea', Mugho Pine, won a Special Award. All plants were excellent specimens, such as the 'Youngi' Birch in the background, a small Photinia villosa , and a bright group of azaleodendron 'Broughtonii Aureum'. Rhododendrons in the planting were: 'Pink Pearl', 'Mrs. Furnival', 'Cynthia', 'Blue Peter' and 'Mother of Pearl'. In the foreground were groupings of azalea 'Gaiety'.
Another Special Award was made for Seven Firs Nursery's design of a typical gardening scene, complete with a trowel, gloves and a flat. This was one-half of the divided plot, with a path bordered with candytuft and funkias, and creeping junipers in the foreground. Some large rhododendrons included 'Vulcan' and 'Mrs. A. T. de la Mare'. The path led to a terrace on the other half, a resting place. Here were funkias and yellow azaleas, with rhododendrons in all lavender tones: 'Blue Peter', 'Susan' x 'Purple Splendour', 'A. Bedford' and 'Fastuosum Flore Pleno'.
A First Award went to Rainier Mt. Alpine Gardens with its "garden in miniature," and some rarely seen plants. There was a beautiful massed planting of the really dwarf rhododendrons and azaleas. With these were grouped dwarf conifers: Pinus parvi flora glauca , Abies hudsonia nana , Abies nobilis glauca , and four varieties of Chamaecyparis .
The Seattle Garden Club exhibit won a Special Award. They featured many varieties of ground covers such as Cornus canadensis, Pachistima canbyii, Polystichum angulare and artiforum, Stewartia monadelpha, Gaultheria procumbuns and Festuca orina glauca . Tall conifers made the background-pines and Tsuga, with a Fagus sylvatica purpurea. Color accents were rhododendrons 'Butterfly', 'Goldsworth Yellow', 'Goldfort', wardii hybrid, R. yunnanense , 'Britannia' hybrid, and azaleadendron 'Broughtonii Aureum.'
A Special Award went to the University of Washington Arboretum for its very interesting educational exhibit of species rhododendrons. They were arranged in groups of origin with placards designating China, Europe, Japan, Himalaya Mts. and North America. The varieties of growth were pointed out with small leaved plants such as R. keleticum and R. obtusum to the large leaved R. praestans .
Hopkins Nursery won a Special Award for their design on a raised mound. Cedar rounds were used with a round low planter, in it a R. 'Sappho' and succulents. Rightfully placed were three beautifully shaped Alpine firs, three lovely sprawling Raphiolepis ovata , Gaultheria procumbens , dwarf Mugho pines, heather 'Mrs. J. H. Hamilton'. Also in the scene were five low plants of R. 'Fastuosum Flore Pleno', a sprawling 'Mrs. P. D. Williams', two 'Blue Peters' and azaleadendron 'Broughtonii Aureum'. The foreground had cover plantings of Ardesia japonica , Primula auricula , and golden scotch heather. A vine maple and a Young's Weeping Birch made a nice contrast.
The Bonsai Exhibit, a usual feature of the Show, displayed many lovely contained plants, using dwarfed rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as Enkianthus and Menziesia .

Awards in the Specimen Plants Section were:

  • Class 2, 2nd, Mrs. Lewis Inkster, hormophorum .
  • Class 3, 3rd, Don McClure, yakushimanum (RHS) seedling.
  • Class 4, 1st, W. J. O'Brien, 'Mrs. Furnival'; 2nd, Grace & John Putnam, 'Vanessa Pastel'; 3rd, Mrs. Helen Kuyatt, 'Countess of Derby'.
  • Class 5, 1st, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, keleticum , 2nd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, radicans , 3rd, W. J. O'Brien, keleticum .
  • Class 6, 1st, Mrs. Roland Lamping, luteum .
  • Class 7, 1st, Mrs. Helen Kuyatt, mucronatum , 2nd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, indicum 'Balsaminaeflorum'; 3rd, Mrs. Mae Granston, 'Mystery'.
  • Class 8, 1st, W. J. O'Brien, 'Cecile'; 2nd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, 'Sandra Marie'; 3rd, Dr. S. Hilscher, 'Strawberry Ice'.
  • Class 9, 1st, Mrs. Wendell Trosper, 'Pink Profusion'; 2nd, Mrs. Stephen Anderson, 'Everest'; 3rd, Mrs. Mae Granston, 'Lorna'.
  • Class 10, 1st, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, 'Broughtonii Aureum'.
  • Class 11, 1st, Lester Brandt, 'Loderi King George' x 'Goldsworth Orange'; 2nd, Lester Brandt, 'Daydream' x 'Margaret Dunn'; 3rd, Owen Ostbo, 'Mrs. Donald Graham' x 'Lady Clementine Mitford'.
  • Class 17, 1st, Mrs. Pendleton Miller, decorum .
  • Class 18, 1st, Charlotte Gilbert, cinnabar inum; 2nd, Mrs. Pendleton Miller, cinnabarinum roylei .
  • Class 19, 1st, Mrs. Henry Isaacson, villosum , 2nd, Mrs. Thomas O'Brube, ambig uum; 3rd, Mrs. Pendleton Miller, hanceanum nanum (pink).
  • Class 20A, 1st, Terry Jo Parker, mucron atum; 2nd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, mucronatum; 3rd, Mrs. W. Byron Lane, obtusum .
  • Class 20B (truss), 1st, Mrs. B. Joslin, luteum , 2nd, Mrs. Rex Palmer occidentale , 3rd. Mrs. H. E. McCary, occidentale .
  • Class 21, 1st, M. Chris Johnson, wardii ( astrocalyx ); 2nd, Donald Graham, wardii ; 3rd, Mrs. Henry Isaacson, callimorphum .
  • Class 24, 1st, Mrs. Thomas O'Brube, macrophyllum; 2nd, Mrs. Earl Palmeter, macrophyllum; 3rd, Lindley Janzen, ponticum .
  • Class 25, 1st, Mrs. Pendleton Miller, haematodes .
  • Class 26, 1st, Charlotte Gilbert, trichostomum var. ledoides ; 2nd. J. H. Madison, obtusum ; 3rd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, keleticum .
  • Class 27, 1st, Mrs. Pendleton Miller, 'Rosemary Chipp'; 3rd, Mrs. Lewis Inkster, 'Rosemary Chipp'.
  • Class 28, 1st, Fred Souder, 'Goldfort'.
  • Class 29, 1st, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, 'Inca Gold'; 2nd, Mrs. Henry Isaacson, 'Lady Bessborough'; 3rd, Mrs. Joseph Demmery, 'Goldsworth Yellow'.
  • Class 30, 1st, Anthony T. Ressa, 'Marinus Koster'; 2nd, Don McClure, 'C. P. Raffill' x ('Azor' x auriculatum) 3rd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, 'Pink Pearl'.
  • Class 31, Anthony T. Ressa, 'Cynthia'; 2nd, J. F. Nelson, 'Anna Rose Whitney', 3rd, Terry Jo Parker, 'Dorothy'.
  • Class 32, 1st, Mrs. K. Boil, 'Britannia'; 2nd, Mrs. Chapin Henry, 'Britannia'; 3rd, Don McClure, 'Mars'.
  • Class 33, 1st, Terry Jo Parker, 'Mother of Pearl'; 2nd, Mrs. Stewart Matthews, 'Mrs. A.T. de la Mare'; 3rd, Mrs. E. L. Dempsey, Ostbo hybrid.
  • Class 34A, 1st, Donald Graham, 'Lem's Goal'; 2nd, Mrs. Stephen E. Anderson, 'Gold Bug'; 3rd, M. Chris Johnson, 'Fabia'.
  • Class 35, 1st, Mrs. Rox Palmer, 'Purple Splendour'; 2nd, Gordon Heyduck. 'Fastuosum Flore Pleno'; 3rd, Mrs. E. L. Dempsey, 'Van Nes Sensation'.
  • Class 36, 1st, Donald Graham, 'Avita'; 2nd, Mrs. Pendleton Miller, 'Broughtonii Aureum'; 3rd, M. Chris Johnson, 'Broughtonii Aureum'.
  • Class 37A, 1st, Mae Granston, 'Cecile'; 2nd, Mrs. Harvey Kamphenborg, Exbury seedling; 3rd, Mrs. Earl A. Palmeter, 'Homebush'.
  • Class 37B, 1st, Mrs. Donald Graham, 'Knaphill Pink; 2nd, Donald Graham, 'Exbury'; 3rd, Donald Graham, 'Persil'.
  • Class 38, 1st. Nancy Parker, 'Rosebud'; 2nd, M. Chris Johnson, 'Glamour'; 3rd.Arthur Luther, Gable's 'Rosebud'.
  • Class 39, 1st, E.P. Kaiser, 'Britannia' x decorum .
  • Class 40A (truss), 1st, Bob Korn, 'Basilisk' x 'Ginger'; 2nd, Bob Korn, 'Basilisk' x 'Ginger'; 3rd, Bob Korn, 'Basilisk' x self.