JARS v59n1 - Rhododendron of the Year Awards, 2005

Rhododendron of the Year Awards, 2005
H. Edward Reiley
ARS Plant Awards Committee Chair
Woodsboro, Maryland

The ARS Plant Awards Committee has selected the Rhododendron of the Year awards for 2005. Because of climate differences, the committee selected plants for six regions: an elepidote, a lepidote, a deciduous azalea and an evergreen azalea. The Swisher Award is given to a vireya rhododendron.

The first criterion was that the plant perform well in the region, even for a novice. That plant had to exhibit good form, foliage and flowers, to prove itself cold and heat hardy for the region, and to show resistance to pests and diseases. In addition, the plant had to be available in the nursery trade.

Digital imaging was performed by Jack Root, chair of the ARS Digital Archives Committee.

Northeastern Region

Elepidote: 'Anita Gehnrich' ('The Honourable Jean Marie de Montague' x R. degronianum ssp. yakushimanum ); -15°F; midseason bloom; 4 ft. tall in 10 years; frilly, deep pink flowers held in a tight truss on a round, compact plant; typical yak foliage, slender and dark green. A Waldman hybrid.

Lepidote: 'Weston's Aglo' ( R. minus , compact selection x R. dauricum hybrid); -25°F ; 3 ft. in 10 years; blooms early midseason; upright growing plant which is sun tolerant and early flowering; purplish pink flowers with a reddish eye. A Weston hybrid.

Deciduous Azalea: 'My Mary' ('Nacoochee' x R. austrinum ); blooms early; 4 ft. in 10 years; fragrant, ball shaped trusses of brilliant yellow flowers; insect resistant, compact grower. A Beasley hybrid.

Evergreen Azalea: 'Rose Greeley' ([ R. yedoense var. poukhanense x R. mucronatum ]F2 x [( R. yedoense var. poukhanense x 'Hexe') x ( R. yedoense var. poukhanense x R. kaempferi )]); early bloomer; hose in hose, fragrant, white flowers with a yellowish green blotch; low growing dense plant; hardy. A Gable hybrid.

Mid Atlantic Region

Elepidote: 'Calsap' ('Catalgla' x 'Sappho'); 4 ft. tall in 10 years; hardy to –25°F; blooms midseason-late; pale purple buds open to form conical trusses of white flowers with a dark red blotch; plant, which is wider than tall, is covered with vivid yellowish green foliage.

Lepidote: 'Dora Amateis' ( R. minus Carolinianum Group x R. ciliatum ); a compact plant growing to 3 ft. in 10 years; pure white flowers are produced in early midseason; dark green, dense foliage is accented with bronze tones; best grown in full sun. An Amateis hybrid.

Deciduous Azalea: 'Gibraltar' (unknown parentage); a Knap Hill Hybrid; grows to 6 ft. in 10 years; vivid orange flowers from deep crimson orange buds; blooms midseason ; compact growing habit; one of the best and most reliable deciduous hybrids; hardy to Zones 5a-8a.

Evergreen Azalea: 'Nancy of Robinhill' ('Vervaeneanum' x ['Louise Gable' x 'Tama-giku']); cold hardy to –10°F; blooms late-midseason; hose in hose and some double flowers are light purplish pink with a small inconspicuous red blotch. A Gartrell hybrid.

Southeastern Region

Elepidote: 'Scintillation' (parentage unknown); reaches 5 ft. in 10 years; flowers midseason with beautiful purplish pink flowers shading to pale purple; spotted greenish yellow on upper lobes and outside deep purplish pink; extraordinarily beautiful foliage of deep, glossy green leaves of heavy texture. A Dexter hybrid.

Lepidote: 'Mary Fleming' ([ R. racemosum x R. keiskei ] x R. keiskei ); grows to 3 ft. tall in 10 years; cold hardy to –15°F.; blooms early, flowering bisque yellow with streaks of salmon pink. A Nearing hybrid.

Evergreen Azalea: 'Stewartstonian' (parentage unknown); grows to 4 ft. tall in 10 years; blooms early with 2-inch orange-red flowers; glossy dark green leaves turn darker in winter; hardy to –15°F.

Midwestern Region

Elepidote: 'Capistrano' ('Hindustan' x [([ R. catawbiense , white x ( R. fortunei ssp. discolor x Fabia Group)] x ['Russell Harmon' x 'Goldsworth Orange']) x 'Golden Gala']); 5 ft. tall in 10 years; a nearly faultless plant habit, forming a mound of tight foliage, wider than tall; greenish yellow flowers appear in midseason, in a tight truss; hardy to –25°F. A Leach hybrid.

Lepidote: 'Landmark' ('Counterpoint' x Carolina Rose Group); 3 to 4 ft. tall in 10 years; hardy to –20°F; blooms in early spring in large trusses of purplish red flowers; vigorous grower with large, thick, leathery leaves that turn purplish in color during winter. A Mezitt hybrid.

Deciduous Azalea: 'Gibraltar' (unknown parentage); a Knap Hill Hybrid; grows to 6 ft. in 10 years; vivid orange flowers from deep crimson orange buds; blooms midseason ; compact growing habit; one of the best and most reliable deciduous hybrids; hardy to Zones 5a-8a.

Evergreen Azalea: 'Karens' ('Hinodegiri' x R. yedoense var. poukhanense ); grows to 4 x 4 ft. in 6 years; wavy, fragrant flowers are deep reddish purple with dark spotting. A Pedersen, Anker & Aaugi hybrid.

Northwestern

Elepidote: 'Horizon Monarch' ('Nancy Evans' x 'Point Defiance'); grows to 6 ft. in 10 years; hardy to 10°F.; in midseason, heavy, gigantic trusses of 15 pale greenish yellow flowers, with a small vivid red flare appear from red scarlet buds; large, leathery, deep green leaves are held on an upright, spreading plant. A Brockenbrough hybrid.

Lepidote: 'Ramapo' ( R. minus Carolinianum Group x R. fastigiatum ); grows up to 2 ft. in 10 years; hardy to –25°F.; during early midseason tiny, inch-long flowers of bright light violet appear abundantly; grows well in sun or partial shade, being more compact in sun; dusty blue-green leaves are very attractive. A Nearing hybrid.

Deciduous Azalea: 'Nifty Fifty' (yellow hybrid x [Knap Hill Yellow x 'Klondyke']); named for the 50th anniversary of the ARS; large bright yellow flowers with orange-yellow color on the upper lobes; a good grower. An Arneson hybrid.

Evergreen Azalea: 'Hilda Niblett' (['Glacier' x 'Tama-giku']) x''Getsu-toku'); low growth habit forms a perfect mound about a foot in height; hardy to –5°F; flowers are large and outstanding and of varying hues of pink, purplish pink and red. A Robin Hill hybrid.

Southwestern Region

Elepidote: 'Mrs. E. C. Stirling' ( R. griffithianum hybrid); grows to 5-6 ft. fall; hardy to –5°F.; blooms in midseason with mauve pink flowers with a paler center in a perfect upright truss and having long up-curved stamens; a heavy bloomer which is also sun tolerant; upright growth habit when young, but tends to spread out and become open. A Waterer hybrid.

Lepidote: 'California Gold' ('Else Frye' x Eldorado Group); grows to 6 ft. tall; hardy to 15°F.; tubular funnel shaped primrose yellow, fragrant flowers appear very early in trusses of six; a well branched plant with spinach green foliage have silvery scales on leaf undersides. A Bowman & Ruby hybrid.

Deciduous Azalea: 'Mrs. Betty Oliver' ( R. occidentale x unknown); height 9 to 13 feet in 21 years; hardy to –10°F; heat resistant and adaptable to S. California; leaves turn red in fall; deep orange-pink buds open to pastel pink, 3-inch fragrant flowers with deeper pink veining and wavy margins; prominent orange dorsal blotch. An Edwards hybrid.

Evergreen Azalea: 'Phoeniceum' (unknown parentage but may be form of R. scabrum or R. scabrum x R. mucronatum ); purplish red flowers with darker dorsal spotting.; syn. 'Rawsonii'; probably originating in Japan, introduced to England from Canton, China in 1824.

Swisher/Vireya

'Avalon' ('Shasta x R. aurigeranum ); a compact plant, bearing full trusses of fragrant, light yellow flowers, with wavy edges. A good container plant. A Moynier hybrid.