JARS v39n2 - A Data Bank for Rhododendron and Azalea Enthusiasts

A Data Bank for Rhododendron and Azalea Enthusiasts
Bob Badger, Seattle, WA

A grant from the Rhododendron Research Foundation of the American Rhododendron Society is permitting an unusual project to be undertaken at the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dr. John A. Wott, Professor of Urban Horticulture at the Center has recognized a need for the diverse information on rhododendrons and azaleas to be more accessible to ARS members and the general gardening public. He recognized that this information often appears in scientific journals of limited availability and that the information is often difficult for laymen to understand. He proposed this project to:

1. Review this diverse literature on rhododendrons and azaleas from 1970 to the present,

2. Abstract from it the facts and cultural guidelines useful to ARS members and other rhododendron and azalea enthusiasts, and

3. Organize this information by categories into a ready reference, keyed to an annotated bibliography. The project will be developed via a data base and data management process in the computer system of the Center for Urban Horticulture. Thus the project will give ARS members easy access to helpful research and experience that are now scattered and little known. Initial access will be by computer printout, but the data could also be the basis for a publication that the ARS could produce for its members.

This is an outstanding example of what can be done through the cooperation of plants people in the Seattle area providing the impetus to create the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington and the foresight of the members of the ARS to create a Rhododendron Research Foundation. The $2000 grant to Dr. Wott's project will benefit the entire public by encouraging better and more intelligent cultivation of rhododendrons and azaleas.

Dr. Wott will be a guest at the upcoming ARS Convention May 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th in Bellevue, where he will be glad to speak to anyone about the project.