Faisa

A Delp lepidote (Achiever x polycladum Scintillans Group) that Rolf Schoen has grown in full sun in his yard since the early nineties. Each spring it is covered with pink-lavender flowers on a well-branched plant. Hardy to -29°C. Midseason bloom. Leaves broadly acute apex, cuneate base, 1 1/2" long.

Laetevirens (Syn. Wilsonii )

Small pink flowers that open later in the season with a generous covering Of dark green foliage.

Morgenrot

A Hachman cross (degronianum ssp yakushimanum 'Koichiro Wada' x Spitfire) , predominantly red flowers with slightly indumented leaves. Height to 4 feet in 10 years. Claimed to be hardy to -21°C. Midseason bloom. Foliage is elliptic, dark green with light indumentum on the underside. Plant habit is round and compact.

Gigi

A Dexter hybrid (unknown parentage) that can grow to 7 feet in 20 years. R ose-red flowers up to 18 per truss. Rated to -21°C. Leaves narrowly elliptic to elliptic, broadly acute apex, rounded base, 4 1/2" long, moderate olive-green, retained 3 years. Broad, dense habit. Prefers a shady location. A number of them have done well in Niagara. In Yarmoshuk's garden this plant grows on the north side in dense shade and provides prolific bloom every two years.

Spellbinder<9> A David Leach hybrid (Russell Harmon x Robin Hood) which not only is very hardy to -22°C but has the largest leaves of any rhodo that we can grow in this area. The flowers are pink, and bloom early in the season. Leaves narrowly elliptic, acute apex, cuneate base, 9 1/2" long, glossy, bullate, medium green, retained for 2 years. Plant well-branched, rounded, dense.

Ilam Violet or Mood Indigo ??

Whatever the true name of this plant, its characteristics warrant a very special place in your garden.

'Mood Indigo' was crossbred by the late Lester Brandt of Tacoma, Washington, whose best known creation was 'Kubla Khan.' To develop 'Mood Indigo,' he started with the Chinese Rhododendron augustinii ssp augustinii & pollinated it with unrecorded species or cultivar. The resulting 'Mood Indigo' was never registered³.

The mother plant, shown in the 3 photos to the left, from which the cuttings for those offered in this sale came was obtained at a Niagara Region plant sale in the late 1970's. It has grown in Yarmoshuk's garden for about 20 years and is now about 5 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. It grows in full sun, planted in very organic soil comprised of coarse peat moss, grow bark and compost. It has an upright narrow growth habit, slightly open to reveal its limb structure. It is slow-growing. And adds limbs or size slowly. The next photo below shows that the plant is well covered with flowers when in bloom.

Local History of this mother plant

In the late 1970's, Al. Smith entered a beautiful blue lepidote.in then annual Niagara Rhododendron flower show. Jack Looye asked him what it was, Al replied "Ilam Violet". It caused quite a stir; everyone wanted one. Later that summer Al Smith told Jack Looye and Rolf Schoen that Clay in BC had some big plants of Ilam Violet for sale. Of course several members of the local society got one.

These plants turned out to be pretty tender and the few buds that each plant had in the spring were smaller and a darker blue than expected. The members were pretty disappointed and got Al to root some cuttings from his plant. Jack Looyes plant went to the Littles' and Rolf still had the plant from Al.

It seems hardy and blooms every spring. The only time it got damaged, together with Blue Ridge from the Haage's, was after the 93-94 winter when temperatures dropped to -20 F and Rolf lost part of both plants.

Jack Looye talked to different people about this including D. Leach, who said the plant could be Rhododendron Mood Indigo that had been surprisingly hardy for him.

The conclusion is that the plant shown in the four photos above probably came from Al Smith and is not Ilam Violet but probably is Mood Indigo. Jack Looye, Rolf Schoen and Nick Yarmoshuk believe it is much better and hardier than Ilam Violet. This information is provided here to keep the record straight. Otherwise confusion will exist about Ilam Violet and its rated hardiness.

Janet Blair x Odee Wright

These trusses come from a grex of seedlings from ARS seedlot # 753 germinated in 1982 and grown by Nick Yarmoshuk.

These plants have been grown in full sun planted in organic soil comprised of coarse peat moss, grow bark and compost.
The colour is really a pale yellow, some would say cream coloured, with a somewhat darker yellow blotch. It is not hardy below -10°C. About ½ of the buds die at lower temperatures. It sets a lot of buds on short stems.

This is a very slow growing plant, providing a compact mound about 3 feet tall and as wide after 20 years. When it blooms after a mild winter, it is a lovely sight to behold. It is a beautifully formed plant and does very well in full sun as a foliage plant, although there is evidence of sun scald. Some noonday shade would probably be very much appreciated.

Cordy's Pride

Nick Yarmoshuk named this plant on the spur of the moment at a Niagara Truss Show. He just wanted folks to know the plant came from Cordy in Pennsylvania in 1982 when Jack Looye, Lyall Crober, Al Smith, Brian Schram and Nick Yarmoshuk went to the ARS meetings in Washington DC. On the return trip they picked up a lot of yearling plants at Earl Cordy's including this smirnowii x yakushimanum cross.
Growing in a northeast exposure, shaded by tall Austrian pines, the plant is approximately 3 feet tall and as wide after 20 years.

The leaves have heavy indumentum. The first potograph above reveals the pink flush of a newly opened truss.
In St. Catharines the plant starts to bloom in approximately mid May and continues to bloom for two weeks with the florets becoming almost full white at the end of the blooming cycle.

Cordy's Pride is shown here with Azalea Luteum.

Vernus x Melrose Pink

These trusses come from a grex of seedlings from an 1982 ARS seedlot for which the seedlot number had been lost. The seeds were germinated in 1982 and grown by Nick Yarmoshuk.

Vernus parentage is catawbiense hybrid x Cunningham's White . This elepidote appears to be very hardy; it blooms in midseason.
The two mother plants were grown for most of their 20 years close to the north wall of the house and received morning direct light for about 3 hours and wsetern light for the same length of time. As such they were well protected against extreme temperatures (through radiation form the walls of the house) and from the prevailing west and north winds.

Both plants, for the first half of their lives, were abused in that they were grown in crowded conditions which forced the early stems upwards and did not allow the plants to develop side branches. The two accompanying photographs to the immediate left (above and below) show the effects of liberating the plant to allow side branches to develop.

The second plant to the immediate left shows better form that the one above. Both plants are approximately the same height, approximately 4 feet each. They are approxmately 3 feet wide.

Despite the dissimilarities in the forms of the plants there appears to be little to differentiate the trusses and florets produced by each.

A full truss of Vernus x Melrose Pink

Yellow Gate

This truss is from a plant in Rolf Schoen's garden.A Cowles hybrid from the Heritage Plantation with cream flowers and shiny dark foliage. About 1meter high after 15 years.

Yellow Gate at the entrance to the (Dexter) Heritage Plantation.

Salley and Greerⁱ describe this hybrid as follows: '5.5 ft high x 8 ft after 25 years. Flowers light greenish yellow in flat truss of 12. Growth habit spreading very dense'.ⁱ

Yellow Gate (central creamed-coloured plant) at the entrance to the (Dexter) Heritage Plantation

Abendsonne.

A Dietrich Hobbie hybrid that, despite its scyphocalyx breeding,does well on the northside of the house. A slightly open plant with orange-red flowers.