QBARS - v22n1 Nurseries to be Visited

Nurseries To Be Visited
As a part of the garden tours at the Annual Meeting two nurseries will be included.

Island Gardens Nursery

A visit will be made to Island Gardens nursery where Ellis Jones specializes in the deciduous azaleas for nationwide sales. About 140 clones of the Exbury-Knaphill, Ilam, Mollis, and Ghent varieties can be Seen here; there Should be about 14,000 of these plants in bloom this year, including specimens to 15 years of age. A like number of hand pollinated seedlings will also bloom for the first time this Spring. Mr. Jones is a dedicated hybridizer and confidently expects to produce a new group of azaleas with the flower Size and color range now available in the Exbury clones but with hose-in-hose and fully double flowers. This tour will give visitors a chance to make their own visual evaluation of these clones grown next to each other under identical conditions.

Greer Gardens

Greer Gardens, which specializes in dwarf type rhododendrons, will also be Seen. The Greers also have rhododendrons of all types and do a great deal of hybridization looking for new individuals which have new and better characteristics than the parent plants.  Some of their crosses have received A.R.S. Preliminary Awards. One of their crosses of unusual interest is a dwarf type Azaleodendron resulting from R. chryseum x R. kiusianum (white form). This cross has never bloomed; however, Several plants are well budded and will be blooming next spring. Another new dwarf cross that has created interest is R. pubescens x R. davidsonianum (Barto pink form) which is a true pink and very floriferous.