QBARS - v33n4 Book Review: Phenology of Cultivated Rhododendrons in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia

Book Review
Ed Egan, Portland, Oregon

Phenology of Cultivated Rhododendrons in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Dr. Keith L. Wade, 1979

"The basic objective of the study was to obtain phenological data on as many cultivated species and hybrids in the B.C. Lower Mainland as possible. In view of the diverse environmental patterns in the study region, it was desirable to collect this data from as many different sites and over as long a time period as possible. Three flowering seasons were the maximum available if the project were to be completed in time for the 1979 A.R.S. Convention." So stated Dr. Keith L. Wade, author of this compendium of rhododendron blooming in six different areas of Lower British Columbia.

Climatological data on each of the areas were charted and is useful in relating the blooming period for each of the areas. Data were gathered from as many of the six areas as possible on over 200 species, including many of their named forms, and almost 450 hybrids. In each of the listings of hybrids, the color and parentage (including the percentage each parent contributed) was given. In the case of the species, the subsection or series and the color were given for each entry.

To further aid in assimilating the vast amount of data, a general list of blooming periods by months of both species and hybrids is contained in the back of the volume. This compilation is broken down into each of the named colors for quick and easy reference.

It would be impossible to estimate the thousands of hours that went into the gathering and compiling of all the data in this volume. At first it is almost overwhelming to contemplate its actual use, but the more the book is used the more its need and value are recognized. All such works are tools in the growing and caring for rhododendrons. This phenology is unquestionably a very valuable tool.