The Rhododendron 2023

• Date: 25th April 2024
• author: Andrew Rouse

EDITORIAL

In pulling together this year’s journal, I trawled back through previous issues to realise that this is my ninth year as Editor of this journal. How time flies! The highlight of 2023 was the Rhododendron Conference, Rhododendron Conservation Down Under, hosted by Emu Valley Rhododendron Gardens in October. It was lovely to return to EVRG and to catch up with rhododendron enthusiasts from around the country and overseas and to hear about projects being undertaken to help conserve rhododendron species and hybrids. A special thank you Geoff Wood, Ant Dry, Nicole Maxwell, Maurie Kupsch and the rest of the team at EVRG for hosting the conference and making us all so welcome.

As Editor I’m on the look out for stories from our members. This year, we hear from Mary McConnell, a volunteer at EVRG and a regular visitor to Japan, who writes about the azaleas at Nezu Shrine in Tokyo. Her article is accompanied by stunning photographs of the azaleas in full flower.
At the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens (DRBG) there is a Wilson’s 50 azalea bed. There has been considerable discussion amongst the regular Tuesday Group volunteers regarding which of the 50 azaleas we have in the collection, and how we would go about identifying more of them. So it is most pleasing to hear from Polly Cooke, a former Secretary of the Rhododendron, Camellia and Magnolia Group at the Royal Horticultural Society, who since 1983 has researched the Wilson 50 azaleas with the aim of confidently identifying those still held in cultivation in the UK. Her expertise will help DRBG and Ferny Creek Horticultural Society (which also holds some Wilsons 50 plants) with identifying more of the plants we hold...

CONTENTS

Editorial · Andrew Rouse .....................................3
Reports – Australian rhododendron organisations ...............5
A visit to Nezu Shrine in Tokyo · Mary McConnell................17
Tom Noonan, ARS–Vic Life Membership · John O’Hara................24
Searching for Rhododendron in Sulawesi · Various authors ........25
Forms of Rhododendron zoelleri · Ian Chalk and Andrew Rouse......57
Australian Rhododendron Conference 2023 · Robert Hatcher ..........63
The Wilson 50 Rhododendrons in the UK · Polly Cooke ............69
New Registrations 2022–2023 · Lesley Eaton ......................82
Australian rhododendron organisations contact information ........84

To read more from the editorial and other interesting articles please download the Journal.