WILLAMETTE CHAPTERWILLAMETTE CHAPTERWILLAMETTE CHAPTER AMERICAN RHODODENDROAMERICAN RHODODENDROAMERICAN RHODODENDRON SOCIETYN SOCIETYN SOCIETY

http:members. http://www.arswillamette.org/ ARS Home Page: http://www.rhododendron.org

Speaker: Dana Malby

New Zealand Trip ALL VISITORS WELCOME

CHAPTER MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2018 7:00 pm in the Carrier room (600 State Street entrance) of the

First Methodist Church on the corner of Church and State Streets, Salem

Happy Thanksgiving

NEWSLETTER Willamette Chapter American Rhododendron Society

Volume 14 Issue 121 November 14, 2018

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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November 14, 2018 Dana Malby New Zealand Trip

December 2, 2018 Wally & Kathy Reed Christmas Potluck

January 9, 2019 Jack Olson Seedlings and how to grow them

February 13, 2019 Steve Hootman TBA

March 13, 2019 n/a

April 10, 2019 n/a

May 8, 2019 Potluck and Plant Sale

own and operate Riverdale Landscape Construction in Salem. They have worked together on and off for over 35 years. Bob has been a licensed contractor since 1985 and Wes taught landscape design and construction at the college level. Their talk on prac-tical landscape design, management and construc-tion is a follow-up to Andy's talk at a past meeting. (I tried to get my computer to cough up the exact month plus his last name, but it wouldn't co-operate with me...as usual.) For example, Andy might de-sign someone's garden and then Wes plus Bob would build what ever "hardscape" was needed such as walkways, patios, walls, a sprinkler system. Bob did the actual talk and Wes was right there to help him out! They used a multitude of photos of various projects they've done, including the building of a "bocce court". It consisted of a very long "box" made from cement bricks. (Think of the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.) It was filled with what appeared to be just dirt and sand. It actually was topped with crushed oyster shells and was very expensive. Why it needed to be oyster shells I don't know. I don't even know how bocce is played. But the people who asked Wes and Bob to build it did so and the owners paid the bill. Anyway, that's how it works. Someone like Andy designed their garden to have a bocce court and Wes plus Bob built it for them.

MINUTES - WILLAMETTE CHAPTER ARS October 10, 2018

Our October meeting got off to a quick start and a short "business" section for announcements. Wally Reed, P4L, introduced a guest, Gloria Sardak, the "better half" of the Al-and-Gloria team. We hope she'll soon be a regular attendee. He also intro-duced two new members: Julie Inman and John Pool (or Poole - let me know at the November meet-ing, John). We first met them last May at the PAPA (Picnic and Plant Auction). And our delicious big cookies were thanks to Bill Vogt. Wally started with the sad news that long-time asso-ciate member, Don Patrick, died from cancer. His charming wife, Dorothy, has been fighting ill health for several years. The service was last weekend. Another of our Chapter members died in August, Bob MacIntyre, who lived in Bandon so he couldn't attend regularly, but was still one of us. Hillside Garden is "doing quite well", and in addition to the tender loving care our volunteers give it, there are now various universities helping out as well. And, of course, Dana Malby reminded us again that dues are due. Pay promptly. Halloween is al-most here.... And this ended the business section. Program Chair, Keith White, introduced the eve-ning's speakers, Wes Butler and Bob Crown, who

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REFRESHMENTS Fred Klatz

Bob had a number of thoughts about landscape con-struction, the first being that is an ART. And no one in the audience disagreed with him. (I think we all feel that way about our various gardens.) A factor in designing and construction is always a question of time. Do you want an "instant landscape" or do you want a garden that develops and grows in to its de-sign over years? A garden isn't like a house which can be built to the exact design of the architect and it will stay that way for a long time with only small changes. A garden usually takes years before it looks like the picture the landscaper designed for you. Unless you have unlimited funds to spend so you can buy a fully developed "instant" garden from grass to trees. He also said that when you have a professional de-signer-builder, you should find out the "character" of the person as well. What kind of person or persons is/are behind the names. What will the cost be? Have previous customers got what they paid for and in a timely fashion. Bob opened, then, for questions and discussion. Mary Ellen White asked about the current trends in garden design. "Rooms" are still "in" and there's getting to be more use of ornamental grasses in the garden. Bob was asked about watering systems. He mentioned "Railbird" products. Bob also talked about an "app" you can put on your "Smart Phone" that will let you adjust your watering schedule to the weather forecast. Of course, someone asked about weed control. Bob found that the worst way to do that is to use that (horrid) black plastic. Instead you can now get "filter fabric" or "road fabric" which has a fine mesh so water can get to the plants but it is also "dense" enough to keep weeks from popping out. (Sorry I didn't get the names of the others of you that had great questions, but it was dark in the Carrier Room and Mary Ellen was sitting beside me so I couldn't miss,) Our thanks to Bob and Wes...we learned a lot. Since there were no plants to raffle off, we split up the iris tubers from the Whites and finished off Bill's cookies and the coffee. Respectfully submitted,

Mary Crofts - Secretary - WCARS

NOVEMBER SPEAKER Our speaker for November is our own Dana Malby. In the fall of 2017 Dana and Sarah, his wife trav-elled to NZ (spring time there). The stimulus was the annual meeting of the NZ Rhododendron Soci-ety. They visited the premier gardens of NZ, some excellent private gardens and several of the distinc-tive NZ attractions. Dana has always been close to Rhododendrons and horticulture. His parents, Helen and Wes, were char-ter members of the Willamette (Salem) Chapter of the ARS. In the early 1970's they cleared 3 acres in Brooks (blowing 300 tree stumps). They built a lath house and began the family rhododendron business by buying 4 inch liners from rhododendron pioneer John Henny, also from Brooks. In the early days they had no well so hand watered from 55 gallon drums they filled remotely. Dana did his more than fair share of the work. Eventually the Malby family built a home complete with a well on the Brooks acreage. The Malbys evolved into raising coveted Japanese maples as a business. This is where I first remember seeing Dana when I (KW) joined the Wil-lamette Chapter. At that time and almost until her recent passing Helen was chapter treasurer. The Malby's donated many a beautiful maple to chapter events and auctions. Meanwhile, Dana was busy tending to his education in pursuit of ever more important "day jobs", finally attaining the title of "Master Electrician" in charge of the whole works at a large Brooks food processing facility. After rais-ing their family et al Dana has (we are pleased to see) agreed to the position of chapter treasurer. Maybe it is in the genes. We are very pleased to have Dana, a true Rhododendron person from the sprout stage up, as our November Speaker.

Keith White, Entertainment

DUES, DUES, DUES If you haven’t paid your dues please do

as they are soon to be past do. If not already.

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Picture of the Day: 21 April 2018 The world’s largest rhododendron has burst into spectacular bloom at the Tregothnan Estate, Corn-wall. The extraordinary 40 foot tall rhododendron is thought to be one of the plants introduced to the stately home garden by Evelyn Boscawen, the sixth Viscount Falmouth, and his brother, the honorable and reverend John Townshend Boscawen over 100 years ago.

Rhododendrons, azaleas: Blooming marvels of the plant world

By Mark Brazil May 10, 2014

It seems that many of my natural-history musings revolve around unprocessed thoughts that emerge while I soak in some rural hot spring or other. I have watched mammals, birds and insects from the bath and, surprising though it may seem, I have even contemplated the behavior of plants while I have been enjoying a soak. Yes, I did say

“behavior.” Our attention spans are so short that we rarely give a thought to the antics of plants, which generally happen in time frames so slow they bore us. We don’t have the patience to watch them grow, yet marvel at and revel in them once they have ap-peared. Their slow pace of life somehow tricks us into believing they are inactive, yet nevertheless they creep and climb, grow into towering vertical forms, and by means of their seeds they drift, waft and glide. Their buds burst, their leaves and flowers unfurl, and their branches and twigs stretch out-wards — that is all behavior. Plant behavior is no less fascinating than animal behavior but requires very much more patience on our parts. I have no-ticed over many early mornings spread across many winters the strange behavior of the shrubs growing above the hot-spring pool at Kambayashi Onsen (yes, the very same one where I noticed the head-warming behavior of the koi described in my last column). On cold winter mornings, with accumulating snow, the clusters of finger-size leaves on the shrubs above the pool seemed to hang listlessly as if limp-wristed. The glossy surfaces seemed somehow dulled, the margins curled in underneath. To be en-tirely anthropomorphic, they seemed depressed. On milder days with sunshine, it was as if they had shrugged off some malaise, tightened their “tendons” and flexed those same “fingers” slightly outwards, giving a hint of the broad span that would be revealed over the weeks and months ahead. What splendid shrubs they would be to photograph in a time-lapse sequence. To see those leaf clusters fluttering, opening and closing just a little each day during the quiet phase of winter, and then to see them stretch outwards for warmth — spreading, reaching for the light and rousing as if from a long sleep — as spring approaches, would be marvelous. After a long winter dormancy, tight buds, like bank vaults for the beautiful, loosen slowly in spring to reveal gorgeous splashes of color and emerge even-tually to show off some of the most splendid of wild flowers, rhododendrons. These rhododendrons, a

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name derived from ancient Greek meaning “rose trees” by the way, are members of the heath family, the Ericaceae. This is the same family to which hea-thers belong, and many of them favor poor or acidic soils. Although plants in the genus Rhododendron are na-tive to a broad swath of the world, by far the high-est species diversity occurs in the foothills and on the slopes of the Himalayas (“abode of snow” in Sanskrit), especially in Nepal, Bhutan, Uttarakhand and Sikkim in India, and Yunnan and Sichuan in China. Growing up in the U.K., I knew rhododendrons to be highly invasive, showy shrubs that overwhelmed woodlands and gardens by shading out and replac-ing the natural understory. I later discovered Victo-rian plant collectors had once scoured Asia, espe-cially the Himalayan region, for such plants. They brought them back to their home country only for them to wreak havoc on the environment in the ab-sence of natural competitors. Springtime in the Himalayas is beautiful. Splashes of white magnolias and cream, golden-yellow, pink and red rhododendrons in the canopy and the under-growth of the lush, deep green of the forest enliven the montane scenery in a gorgeously unexpected way. Few sights can be as impressive as ranks of mountain ridges carpeted with native forest and splashed with color. But one doesn’t need to travel so far afield as the Himalayas to witness plants de-livering such a delightful palette. After the Himala-yas, the next best region of the world for this gor-geous group of plants is East Asia, with areas of sig-nificant rhododendron diversity thriving in the moun-tains of Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and especially here in Japan. We are living in a rhododendron hot spot! On my first early summer train ride up the wooded Kiso Valley in southwestern Nagano, with the North Alps to the west and the Central Alps to the east, I was deeply impressed by the wonderful and mysteri-ous dashes of color in the forest. Only then did I realize that Japan is home to some of the most gor-geous rhododendrons and their close cousins, azal-

eas, in the world. Of course, you can visit almost any park or garden in the country and find neatly trimmed mounds of azaleas and rhododendrons lining rock gardens by the dozen. While not wishing to denigrate those gar-den varieties, I wish to focus on the wild species of azaleas and rhododendrons that brighten Japan’s forests from Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture to Hokkaido in the north. Japan does not have the largest tree-forming species that can be found in the Himalayas, but it makes up for a lack of stature with diversity. Of the approximately 1,000 species of rho-dodendrons worldwide, I was told recently that Bhu-tan has approximately 46. Here in Japan, though, we have twice that number with almost 100 species, many of them endemic to particular mountain re-gions of the country. The long-isolated cluster of volcanoes in southern Kyushu that form the Kirishima mountains, for example, have their very own unique azalea, from which many cultivars have been derived. Some of them, such as Rhododendron kaempferi, are redolent of the past and bear the names of early naturalists. To find one of my favorite azaleas, one must climb high into the mountains of central Japan or Hok-kaido. There the alpine azalea, a low mat-forming plant, puts out tiny pink clusters of flowers, each just a few millimeters across. In the far northern Arctic tundra, this species is so abundant that de-spite the tiny size of each flower, it appears as if the whole plain is carpeted in pink. Fortunately, urban rhododendron seekers hardly need to worry, as azal-eas and rhododendrons are planted in numerous gardens and are also the focus of garden festivals such as the Tsutsuji Matsuri (Azalea Festival). Wherever you are in Japan, this is the season to revel in them. While the blooming season for some varieties may start as early as mid-April in southern regions and the lowlands, others bloom later further north and at higher elevations, with many coming to their peak in June, July and even August. Each spring, travel agencies in Japan are over-whelmed by the volume of overseas visitors coming to this country for cherry blossom tours. To my mind

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these visitors are grasping at a cliche. Of course, the palest of pinkish-white froth on bare branches in March or early April is stunningly beautiful, and yet there is no surprise in it that it is entirely predict-able. Not so the magical moment of turning a corner on a trail and encountering a sudden splash of pink, red or gold amongst the greenery. Perhaps cherry blossoms are for the eager-to-revel masses whereas rhododendrons are for plant aficionados, but some-how I feel travel agencies in the country are missing one of the great colorful highlights of Japan’s natu-ral year. Do take the opportunity to go out and en-joy them in the weeks ahead. Naturalist and author Mark Brazil has written Wild Watch for more than 30 years. He also organizes and leads wildlife, bird-watching and photographic excursions around Japan.

NATIONAL AND NORTHWEST ARS PASSINGS ROBERT MACINTYRE ---- Bob MacIntyre of Bandon, Oregon passed away August 11, 2018. Bob and his wife of 49 years, Marjene, founded the Southwest-ern Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society a number of years back. Bob and Marjene have been Associate Members of our Willamette Chapter ARS for many years. Bob was very energetic and loved rhodys and the ARS. He was elected early as the Director of District 4 ARS (Oregon Chapters) and in that office, conspired to set the District 4 financial and business house in order with great success. He was elected Western Vice President of ARS in 2011, and rose to President of ARS for the term 2014 to 2017. As ARS President, he again led the charge to simplify and rationalize the management, finances and organization of the ARS again with great suc-cess. Bob’s legacy continues with the successes of the ARS. Bob was a true decedent of Scotch immi-

grants and a famous wearer of the Kilt. His phone calls with “are ye thar mon?” are greatly missed. All our love to Marjene and the MacIntyre family. The world of rhodys is lessened. Donations in Bob’s memory can be made to the American Rhododen-dron Society or the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. DON PATRICK — Don and Dorothy Patrick have been Associate Members of our Willamette Chapter ARS for many years. Don passed away September 28, 2018. Don and Dorothy were married 66 years. Two days before Don’s death, Dorothy returned home from a care facility where she had been recov-ering from a broken leg. The Patrick's have been wonderfully supportive of our Willamette Chapter, providing programs, door prizes, advice and fun. For years, they provided rhodys and other plant materi-als to the Cecil and Molly Smith Garden near New-berg, OR. Their support of the Smith Garden is leg-endary. Don is greatly missed, and our love to Doro-thy and the Patrick family.

Wally Reed - President

CALENDARS Today October 16, 2018 Keith received his shipment of calendars from the RSBG. Keith says they are beautiful this year. (As always) The calendars are $15.00 with all sales going to the RSBG. Anyone wanting a calendar but is unable to get to the meet-ings Keith says he will send a calendar by mail to you. He will also have copies at the November meet-ing.

PREMEETING DINNER November 14, 2018 pre-chapter Meeting dinner will be at the Ram Pub again beginning about 5:00 PM. The Ram Pub and Brewery is located at 515 12th St. SE, Salem, OR 97301, 503-363-1904, at the inter-section of 12th St. SE and Bellevue St. SE in Salem, OR. The menu is at: http://www.theram.com/menu-location/or-salem/. It is fully handicap accessible. Parking is behind the building off Bellevue St which is One Way East and off 12th St, which is One Way South, next to the Pringle Creek.

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Rhododendrons of eastern Himalayas under threat

Shiv Sahay Singh Kolkata, June 10, 2017

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Many of these flowering trees are unique to the cold, mountainous habitat. Though home to 97% of the Rhododendron species and sub-species in the country, indiscriminate felling and loss of habitat in the north-eastern States has left many of these beautiful flowering plants vulner-able to extinction. A recent publication by scientists with the Botanical Survey of India has documented and stressed the need to protect the many unique varieties of Rhodo-dendron — literally rose tree in Greek — found in the region, with 18 species endemic to India. The publication, Rhododendron of North East India: A Pictorial Handbook by scientists Ashiho A. Mao, Sudhansu Sekhar Dash and Paramjit Singh points out that studies and records suggest that there are 132 taxa (80 species, 25 sub species and 27 varie-ties) of Rhododendron found in India, of which 129 are found in the north-eastern India alone. Only three taxa — Rhododendron arboretum nila-giricum found in south India and Rhododendron col-letianum and Rhododendron rawatti from the west-ern Himalayas are not found in the north-east. Arunachal Pradesh is home to the highest number with 119 taxa (74 species, 21 sub species and 24 varieties) of the Rhododendron. The small State of

Sikkim is home to 42 taxa (25 species, 11 sub-species and six varieties) while 10 taxa are found in Manipur, four in Mizoram and 11 in Nagaland. Centre of diversity “The cold, moist slopes and deep valleys of the east-ern Himalayas form a conducive habitat for the luxu-riant growth of Rhododendron species. Nowhere in the world, are such unique geographical and eco-logical formations are found. This is the primary rea-son for such a diversity of Rhododendron available in the region,” Dr. Dash told The Hindu. Dr. Dash added that the eastern Himalayas are re-garded as one of the centres of diversity for the ge-nus, which means that the Rhododendron has mi-grated to different parts of world from this region. A global spread Dr. Singh, director of the BSI and one of co-authors of the book, said while rhododendrons might not be appreciated in India, they are prized in gardens across Europe. He pointed out that European researchers and horti-culturists had taken seeds from the eastern Himala-yas. Rhododendrons were first recorded by Captain Hard-wick in Jammu and Kashmir in 1776 where he spot-ted the Rhododendron arboretum. But it was a visit by the British botanist Joseph D. Hooker to Sikkim between 1858 and 1850 that revealed the rhodo-dendron wealth of the region. Found in varied habitats from subtropical forest to alpine shrubs, rhododendrons range from dwarf shrubs to large trees. The smallest are R.nivale and R. pumilum at just 10 to 50 cm while the tallest species, R. arboretum grows over 40 metres tall. The scientists point to the need for conservation of Rhododendrons, stressing that epiphytic species, which grow on other trees or plants, of rhododen-drons with limited population are most vulnerable due to loss of the host trees. Dr Singh said while in high altitude areas of Arunachal Pradesh, rhododen-drons are routinely cut for firewood by local people, forest fires in the dry seasons in Manipur and Na-

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Willamette Chapter Officers President: Wally Reed.........…...503-588-3666 V-President: Programs Chair: Keith White ……….…..503-363-2815 Secretary: Mary Crofts….… .…...503-838-4122 Treasurer: Dana Malby ……….... 503-393-6463 Librarian: Dick Lundin .......…...503-585-8439 Newsletter: Editor: Dick Lundin .......……503-585-8439 Print. & Mail: Dick Lundin .......…...503-585-8439 Board Members: Tom Bailey ........…...503-364-7741 Bill Vagt ………………..503-581-8654 Susan Doellinger …..503-838-4884 Greeter Susan Doellinger…...503-838-4884 Past President: Chuck Dehn.......…...503-362-9217 Web Site

R. Taliense Predominate Flower Color: White

Flower/Truss Description: Funnel-campanulate, white to cream, sometimes flushed pink, spotted

crimson. Truss holds 10-20 flowers. Fragrant: No

Bloom Time: Early Midseason Foliage Description: Leaves oblong-ovate to broadly lanceolate, up to 41/4” long, dense tawny brown to

rust indumentum. Plant Habit: Dwarf and compact to upright shrub.

Height: 4 feet in 10 years Cold Hardiness Temp: -10°F (-23°C)

Elepidote (E) or lepidote (L): E Sub Genus: Hymenanthes

Section: Ponticum Sub Section: Taliensia

Geographical Origin: China (W. Yunnan)

galand were threatening the survival of many spe-cies. The endemic R. wattii from Dzukou hills of Manipur and Nagaland is one of the most critically endan-gered species in India, with only a few adult trees remaining in their natural habitat. The authors, how-ever, have praised the efforts of Sikkim in protecting and preserving the species. The Sikkim Forest department and the Sikkim Rho-dodendron Society have identified nine Rho-dodedron ecosystems and protected area networks in the State. The two famous Rhododendron sanctu-aries in the State are Barsey Rhododendron Sanctu-ary in the West district, covering an area of 104 sq.km and Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary in Yumthang valley of North district with an area of 43 sq.km. The authors emphasise the need to follow Sikkim’s example in other regions, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, with at-risk varieties. Dr Dash also sug-gested the need for more Rhododendron societies in other northeastern States. Climate change signals Other natural stands of the flowering plants can be found in West Kameng district and Bomdir to Zimithang in Tawang district. The flowering season starts in February and contin-ues till April in the lower elevations while in the higher reaches, blooms appear in late May and con-tinue till June. The scientists record that studies on the phenology (flowering cycle) of Rhododendrons have revealed that they are prominent indicators of climate change. Other than the ornamental value, use in packaging wood crafts, fragrance and reli-gious use, Rhododendrons also are used in local medicines against colds, coughs and chronic bron-chitis and diarrhoea. The petals of R. arboretum are widely used for making juice, jams and jelly.

Don’t let the ghost and goblins get you

Beware of the great pumpkin but Have a good Halloween