QBARS - v21n3 Remarks

Remarks By David Leach

As part of the panel discussion on "New and Interesting Items" Dr. David Leach discussed new or noteworthy varieties and showed slides of most of them. Starting with deciduous azaleas he mentioned the Ilams and some developed in this country from the Ilam strain. Shown were 'Chartreuse', 'Canterbury', a selection raised by Orlando Pride, and certain selections by the speaker including his 'Spring Salvo'. As Exbury azaleas which have done exceptionally well for him he showed 'Strawberry Ice', 'Orange Ade', 'Old Gold'.

Two selections of the Knap Hill type, made by Bob Bovee in Portland, are 'Sweet Sue' and 'Sandra Marie'. As for the Knaphills themselves, the speaker listed 'Toucan' as one that has been the best for him.

He stressed that one should not get carried away by large flowers as some of the natives may be superior for many landscape uses. One of his own hybrids, 'Tang' opens orange and ages to brilliant red. It is a seedling of R. cumberlandense X 'Red King'. Mentioned as worthy of note were R. canadense form albiflorum , R. vaseyi 'Spring Party', R. vaseyi 'White Find' and R. roseum . Seen at a distance these profuse, small flowered natives are often preferable to giant flowered hybrids. A plant used in Japan but seldom seen here is the white form of R. dauricum .

Named rhododendron varieties discussed were 'Pinnacle', 'King Tut', 'Ice Cube', 'Juliet', some of the Dexters, 'Lavender Princess', 'Betty Hume', 'Mary Belle', 'Dora Amateis', 'Rochelle', 'Russautinii', and 'Mist Maiden'.

As a quick way to raise seedlings he described the use of plastic dishes under fluorescent lights.