QBARS - v21n4 The 1967 Spring Show Of The Vancouver Chapter

The 1967 Spring Show of the Vancouver Chapter
Grace M. Conboy

The Vancouver Chapter this year staged their Spring Show May 11, 12, 13 and 14, jointly sponsored by the Burnaby Centennial Committee. The joint sponsorship arose following the choice of the Rhododendron as Burnaby's official flower or plant. Burnaby felt this was an ideal arrangement to stimulate interest in the public to grow at least one Rhodo in every Burnaby garden.

Our members, needless to say, were delighted to have financial backing to stage a really good show and publicize our pet plant. Plants and cultivation brochures were made available at the show and the interest of the large number of people in attendance will go far in boosting the membership of our chapter in this area. The joint sponsorship will probably continue in years to come.

The Show was set up in the spacious Burnaby Municipal Ice Arena in Central Burnaby. Carrying through the Centennial theme, gift Rhododendrons were presented to every 100th person attending. The joint Committee included several prominent landscape architects who drew up plans and presented an outstanding show, incorporating numerous group displays into one delightful galaxy of colour. Despite a late, cool spring enough Rhododendrons and Azaleas were in bloom for the show. Many, in tubs were placed strategically at the entrance and throughout the arena. Large sized flowering trees were also used with seating beneath, creating a park effect.

The Burnaby Parks feature display incorporated a waterfall and stream with a modernistic note. A woodland setting with large birch, maple and pines provided a compatible backdrop for 'Unique', 'Jock', 'Rainbow' and 'Elizabeth' and various colored Azaleas. The Alpine Club of B.C. incorporated a rock garden into a portion of this display, introducing many of the lovely woodland plants, which associate so well with Rhododendrons, and also rock plants, including many of the choice dwarf Rhododendrons as R. impeditum and R. nitens .

The Vancouver Parks Commission entered a most colorful exhibit, flamboyant with Primula obconica fronting a quiet pool and interspersed with Myosoti, ferns beneath graceful silver birch. Daphne cneorum highlighted shapely plants of R. impeditum to the side. Azalea Mollis, blue Hydrangea and Mugho Pine edged a pathway which led to the beautiful pastel background planting of Camellia, white R. taronense and R. apodectum X 'W. C. Slocock'.

The B. C. Nursery Trades Association featured a patio planted area using 'Mrs. B. Robertson', 'Loderi' X R. williamsianum , 'Jock', and red azaleas with interspersed Cytisus and evergreens.

The Show was officially opened by Reeve A. Emmott on eve of May 11th and the beautiful trophies, on display, were awarded. Recipients of the trophies stood up to the greatest volume of competition there has ever been at a Rhododendron show here, 486 entries, beautifully staged in the various bench truss classes.

The Best Rhododendron Plant was chosen from all the plants in the various displays. 'Virginia Richards', a large, singularly outstanding new hybrid of compact habit with large trusses of soft pink overcast cream to gold in the throat of the bloom, was exhibited by Mr. E. J. Trayling of N. Surrey who apologetically accepted his own trophy, the E. J. Trayling Trophy.

The Eric Langton Memorial trophy, donated by the Vancouver Chapter for the Best Azalea truss was awarded to Mrs. A. J. Haley for a truss of a bright gold orange Mollis seedling.

The B. C. Nursery Trades Association Trophy for the Best Hybrid Rhododendron was also won by Mr. E. J. Trayling with his truss of lovely chartreuse yellow 'Diane'.

The trophy for the Best New Unnamed Seedling truss, donated by Mrs. E. M. Lawson (General Chairman of the combined Committee) was won by Mr. Fred Collins for the cross of 'Hawk' x 'Naomi' (Langton).

The Ted Greig Memorial Cup donated by Mr. Clive Justice for the Best Species Truss was won by the Vancouver Parks Commission for a beautiful R. rex with felted leaves.