Proven Performers: District 5

The ARS Public Education Committee last year asked chapters to compile lists of the best performing rhododendrons in their areas. Not only were these to be plants with good form, foliage texture and flowers, but also they were to be cold and heat hardy for the area and resistant to pests and diseases. The integrity of the lists is based upon the fact that the plants have proven their ability to perform well in members' gardens. The response to the request was overwhelming with almost all chapters sending lists to the committee. As a result, the Society and its chapters are able to make these lists available to the public to guide them in selecting rhododendrons that do well in their local area.

The chapters were asked to list ten each of elepidotes, lepidotes, deciduous azaleas, evergreen azaleas and, where pertinent, vireyas. Some chapters followed this procedure, while others included more of one category than another. No matter how the lists were organized, the Society now has a "Proven Performer" list of rhododendrons that do well in specific regions, along with culture tips specific to the area and, in some cases, sources for the plants.

The Journal began publishing the lists in the fall 2000 issue, starting with District 1. The Proven Performers from District 5 are listed in this issue. An asterisk (*) means the name is not registered.

MONTEREY BAY CHAPTER
'Arthur Bedford'
'Anah Kruschke'
'Beauty of Littleworth'
'Cary Ann'
'Catawbiense Grandiflorum'
'Colonel Coen'
'Cornubia'
'Dame Nellie Melba'
'Doctor Arnold W. Endtz'
'Dreamland'
'Edith Mackworth Praed'
'Fastuosum Flore Pleno'
'Forsterianum'
'Fragrantissimum'
'Ginny Gee'
'Gomer Waterer' 'Horizon Monarch'
'The Honourable Jean Marie de Montague'
'Lem's Monarch'
'Lillian Peste'
'Loder's White'
'Lord Roberts'
'Margaret Mack'
'Markeeta's Prize'
'Morning Cloud'
'Mrs. G. W. Leak'
'Nancy Evans'
'Noyo Brave'
'Percy Wiseman'
'Pink Pearl'
'Prairie Fire'*
'President Roosevelt'
'Purple Lace'
'Queen Nefertiti'
'Red Walloper'*
'Royal Purple'
'Solidarity'
'Tahitian Dawn'*
'Taurus'
'Trilby'
'Trude Webster'
'Turkish Delight'*
'Unique'
'Halopeanum' (syn. 'White Pearl')
'White Swan'
'Yaku Prince'

CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
Elepidotes (large-leaf)
'Anah Kruschke'
'Blue Jay'
'Colonel Coen'
'Elsie Watson'
'Midnight'
'Warlock'
R. arboreum
'Arnold Piper'
'Brittenhill Bugle'
'Etta Burrows'
'The Honourable Jean Marie de Montague'
'Kilimanjaro'
'Markeeta's Prize'
'Noyo Brave'
'Noyo Chief'
'Red Walloper'
'Rubicon'
'Taurus'
'Bruce Brechtbill'
'Dreamland'
'Exbury Naomi'
'Irene Stead'
'Markeeta's Flame'
R. moulmainense 'Noyo Dream'
'One Thousand Butterflies'
'Point Defiance'
R. protistum
R. yakushimanum 'Koichiro Wada'
'Gomer Waterer'
R. grande
R. griffithianum
R. irroratum
'Loderi King George'
'Loder's White'
'Mount Everest'
'Noyo Snow'
'Senator Henry Jackson'*
'White Swan'
R. falconeri
'Horizon Monarch'
'Golden Torch'
'Lem's Cameo'
R. macabeanum
'Tahitian Dawn'*
'Unique'
'Frank Galsworthy'
'Mrs G. W. Leak'

Lepidotes
'Bill Massey'
'Else Frye'
'Fleurette Evans'
'Forsterianum'
'Fragrantissimum'
'Joy Ridge'*
'Lemon Mist'
'Mi Amor'
'My Lady'
'Paul Molinari'
'September Snow'
R. cinnabarinum
R. davidsonianum
R. edgeworthii
R. arboreum 'Doctor Bowman'
R. keiskei var. ozawae R. lindleyi
R. megacalyx
R. nuttallii 'John Paul Evans'
R. veitchianum

Vireyas
'Aleksandr Isayevich'*
'Harry Wu'
'Kurt Herbert Adler'
'Meris'*
'Moonwood'
R. aequabile
R. burttii
R. laetum
R. leucogigas
R. pauciflorum
R. stenophyllum
R. womersleyi

Deciduous Azaleas
R. schlippenbachii

HAWAII CHAPTER
Vireyas
'Harry Wu'
'Java Rose'*
'Jock's Cairn'
'Kisses'
'Littlest Angel'
'Mount Pire'
'Narnia'
'Ne Plus Ultra'
'Peachy Pink'*
'Popcorn'
'Saint Valentine'
'Taylorii'
'Tropic Glow'
'Vladimir Bukovsky'
R. dielsianum
R. jasminiflorum hybrids
R. zoelleri

Specific to the Hawaii Chapter Region Hawaii, the Big Island, USDA Hardiness Zone 10 & above, has many different microclimate zones. Elevation goes from 150 feet to 4000 feet above sea level.

Some of the generally agreed upon techniques for planting vireyas follow:

Helps with the acidic island soil and pH:

1. Allow plant to acclimate before planting in the ground. Allow young plants to become pot-bound before disturbing. Fertilize with such as Blue Chip. Blue Chip works well in rainy areas such as Hilo and Volcano areas.

*Note: If the area is hot and dry , such as Kona, use a time-release that is heat activated, such as Nutrocote vs. a water-released.

2. Vireya roots are surface roots; therefore, plant shallow. When using a pot, try a short wide pot vs. a tall narrow one.

3. Most vireyas do well in full sun. Some dappled shade is great for all.

4. Potting mixture that works well is equal parts of cinder and peat moss, adding a small amount of dolomite. Whether in a pot or in the ground good drainage is a must. Best if planted mound-style with compost on top.

5. Use fertilizer sparingly. A weak solution of foliar spray often is better than a one time heavy application. Apply small amount of time-release at time of planting.

NOYO CHAPTER
Elepidotes (large-leaf)
'Anah Kruschke'
'Anna Rose Whitney'
'Bruce Brechtbill'
'Dame Nellie Melba'
'Jim Drewry'
'Loderi Venus'
'Naselle'
'Noyo Chief'
'Taurus'
'White Swan'

Lepidotes (small-leaf)
'California Gold'
'Crater Lake'
'Dora Amateis'
'Else Frye'
'Saffron Queen'
R. burmanicum
R. impeditum
R. lutescens
R. maddenii ssp. crassum (formerly R. odoriferum )
R. maddenii ssp. maddenii (formerly R. polyandrum )

Deciduous Azaleas
'Annabella'
'Arneson Gem'
'Bright Forecast'
'Golden Dream'
'Marion Merriman'
'Oxydol'
'Rennie'
'Strawberry Ice'
Sun Chariot'
R. luteum

Evergreen Azaleas
'Blue Danube'
'Cloud Nine'*
'Double Beauty'
'Gay Paree'*
'Great Expectations'
'Hino-crimson'
'Pink Cloud'*
'Redwings'*
'Ripples'*
'Twenty Grand'

Specific to Noyo Chapter Region Fort Bragg area is in the USDA Zone 9. Sunset Magazine puts us in their Zone 17. The coastal area is conifer forest with marine influence. The temperature is rarely below 25°F or over 80°F. (Our growers sell plants to Sacramento Valley nurseries. In that area the rhododendrons need protection from the sun in the hot summer weather.) The soil is acid in general, but there is a layer of clay in many places. The rhododendrons in some situations must be planted in a raised position to maintain the necessary good drainage. A mixture of soil, leaf mold, and well-aged wood chips makes a good planting medium. The plants should be kept moist; mulching with aged wood chips is a great benefit. Fertilize in the early spring with an acid fertilizer made for rhododendrons.

Nursery Sources Wholesale
Decanso Nursery, 20100 Hanson Rd., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Sherwood Nursery, 30480 Sherwood Rd., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Summers Lane Nursery, 2000 Summers Lane, Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Nursery Sources Retail
Heartwood Nursery, 525 S. Franklin St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Mitchell Creek Rhododendron Nursery, 16440 Franklin Rd., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Top of the Hill Nursery, 32183 O'Bayley Dr., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Hare Creek Nursery, 32461 Hwy. So. Fort Bragg, CA 95437
North Star Nursery, 18300 Old Coast Hwy., Fort Bragg, CA 95437

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
Elepidotes (large-leaf)
'Aloha'
'Anah Kruschke'
'Cunningham's Blush'
'Cunningham's White'
'Daphnoides'
'Gomer Waterer'
'Rocket'
'Taurus'
'The Honourable Jean Marie de Montague'
R. hyperythrum

Lepidotes (small-leaf)
'Bob's Blue'
'Fragrantissimum'
'Harry Tagg'
'Purple Gem'
'Spicil'
PJM Group
R. formosum
R. ciliatum
R. maddenii (formerly polyandrum , odoriferum )

Evergreen Azaleas
'Nuccio's Carnival' (Nuccio)
'Red Bird'* (Brooks) (syn. of 'Redwings'*)
'Alaska' (Rutherford)
'Formosum' (Southern Indian)
'Sweetheart Supreme' (Pericat)
'Chinzan' (Satsuki)
'Hakata-shiro' (Satsuki)
'Shiryu-no-homare (Satsuki)
R. nakaharae
R. kiusianum 'Komo-kulshan'*

Vireyas
'Jock's Cairn'
'Aravir'
'Saint Valentine'
'Elizabeth Ann Seton'
'Taylorii'
'George Budgen' 'Lenore Frances'*
R. dielsianum
R. loranthiflorum
R. retusum

Specific to the Southern California Region
Southern California is a vast geographical region with many microclimates. These procedures have worked in coastal Orange County, USDA Zone 9b. The most limiting factor is hard water.

General Requirements: All rhododendrons must have excellent drainage to allow for the heavy watering necessary to leach out deposits left by hard water. Plants should be planted with several inches or more of the root ball above the soil level and mulched heavily with bark mulch. Plants should be misted regularly in dry weather to provide adequate humidity levels. Specific Cultivation Practice Excavate the planting area to three times the width and twice the depth of the root ball and amend the soil further with a mixture of equal parts of sand, peat, and perlite by digging it in an additional 6 to 12 inches. Backfill with an ericaceous planting mix consisting of equal parts of small grade sterilized orchid bark, coarse peat moss and perlite, into which has been mixed 1/2 to 1 cup of iron sulfate (Ironite). Set the plant in the hole with up to half the root ball above ground level and mound up ericaceous mix to form a compact hill. Mulch heavily with bark, and water in thoroughly. Periodically fill a hoseend sprayer with vinegar and water plants to aid in leaching salts. Fertilize regularly with a dilute 5-30-5 or 10-50-10 high phosphorus fertilizer with micro-nutrients.

EUREKA CHAPTER
Elepidotes
R. calophytum
R. campylogynum
R. williamsianum
'Alice'
'Anah Kruschke' 'Bibiani' 'Bruce Brechtbill' 'Christmas Cheer' 'Cornubia' 'Cupcake' 'Fastuosum Flore Pleno' 'Grace Seabrook' 'Halfdan Lem' 'Hallelujah'
'Horizon Monarch'
'The Honourable Jean Marie de Montague'
'Lem's Cameo'
'Loderi King George'
'Loderi Venus'
'Madame Cochet'
'Manda Sue'
'May Day'
'Mrs. Charles E. Pearson'
'Mrs. E. C. Stirling'
'Mrs. G. W. Leak'
'Nancy Evans'
'Naselle'
'Noyo Brave'
'Noyo Chief'
'Noyo Dream'
Olympic Lady Group
'Peter Faulk'

Lepidotes
R. maddenii
'Blaney's Blue'*
'Bodega Crystal Pink'
'Dora Amateis'
'Fragrantissimum'
'Ginny Gee'
'Goldilocks'
'Mi Amor'