Extension to the American Deciduous Species Collection at DRBG

The Horseshoe Bed, below the Cherry Walk, was suffering from weed infestation and neglect. It comprises
a collection of deciduous azalea cultivars and a few species, but it didn’t really promote the species
collection of the Pentanthera and Rhodora sections.


Over the last six months, the ARSV Tuesday group have been clearing a second section of the Horseshoe
Bed at Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden along the bottom bitumen road. The area for the first section
planted in May 2023, was not quite large enough to display the group plantings of the sixteen species we
hold.


ARSV's comprehensive database has cultivation of these species from as early as 1970, but most are
through the 1990's and 2000's.


Pentanthera section: R. alabamense, R. atlanticum, R. arborescens, R. bakeri, R. calendulaceum,
R. canescens, R. cumberlandense, R. flammeum, R. occidentale, R. perclyminoides, R. prinophyllum,
R. prunifolium and R. viscosum. Also included, but not from the USA - R. luteum and R. molle ssp japonicum.

Rhodora section: R. canadense and R. vaseyi.


The aim for these new beds is to ensure we maintain the species collection currently scattered throughout the gardens, and using mass plantings of each species to mitigate future losses and showcase the small but floriferous flowers.

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