Named Rhodo Hybrids in the Garden

I have not been an avid collector of hybrid rhododendrons, but over the years have accumulated many named plants, some of which have become quite rare. Cultivars fall out of favor and nurserymen stop propagating them. Of the thousands of named cultivars, only a tiny number are available to the very interested grower and only about 30 or so cultivars are available to the general gardening public. Just go to your local nursery and see how many rhododendron cultivars they have available.

Here is the list of the named hybrids in the garden: This is not a complete list. Go the end of the pictures and you will find a table with all the hybrids without pictures.

Acclaim a very good, large red with a perfect truss form.Very leggy. Color in picture is not exact. Root cuttings with 4% IBA hormone. A Dexter hybrid.

Accomplishment A Hardgrove hybrid named by Dory Royce. Open growing..

Adele Lovett – A hybrid of Nat Hess. Named for an old friend of Nat’s. ‘Cavalcade’ x hardy fortunei. ‘Cavalcade’ is (‘Essex Scarlet’ x griersonianum). 11/2014: Good color for a plant half fortunei. Flower is a good size too.

America A very nice red. Blooms a little late, but still worth having.

Andy Paton

Andy Paton: A Bob Furman cross of ‘Scintillation’ x calophytum. Very early bloomer with large leaves. Those interested in large leaved hybrids could start off crossing this with some of the large leaved species. Matures into a major plant.

‘Anna’ x ‘Mariness Koster’ Nat Hess said that he got this from H. Lem on the West Coast. I don’t know if Nat got seed from Lem or a cutting from a selected seedling. Not very hardy, but when it blooms, wow. 11/2020 -‘Mariness Koster’ bloomed for the fist time in my garden. It is an enormous knock-out pink truss, but very open growing. 4/21

‘Anna’ x yak – This the better of the two plants I have of this cross. Both plants came from the west coast. This one has very good plant habit but is a shy bloomer. Flower looks like Anna I think as I have never seen it in person. Very reluctant to take pollen. Very attractive plant.

‘Ananouri’ x ‘Howard Kuhn’– ‘Howard Kuhn’ is– metternichii v. tsukushiam x (yak#6 x haemaleum). ‘Annanouri’ – is a registered Phipps hybrid that is pure red but leggy and not a good doer. Registered as (‘Britannia’ x discolor) but I think it is (‘Britannia’ x ‘Mars’) or ‘Mars’ selfed. It is so very red that I can’t believe it is half discolor. Also the plant looks and behaves a lot like ‘Mars’. Howard Kuhn had made this cross, later named ‘Howard Kuhn’, and the seedling was doing poorly, so he put it in Jack Rosenthal’s rhododendron hospital in intensive care. Jack got it to live and bloom. George Woodard crossed it onto ‘Annanouri’. Werner Brack now has the plant of ‘Howard Kuhn’ and he gave me some cuttings several years ago which I rooted. I think ‘Howard Kuhn’ is ‘Annanoui’ selfed. So I think ‘Ananouri’ x ‘Howard Kuhn’ is ‘Mars’ selfed two times. The flower on ‘HowadKuhn’ is very small and a poor red color.

8/30/15: The buds blasted over last winter.

11/15/20: It is indumented, but you would not care. It is a poor red, very small.

‘Anna Rose Whitney’ West coast cross hybrid from the Whitney nursery. Very large flowers in a sharp pink color. A polyploid. Does well for me.

‘Anne Hardgrove’

‘Anne Hardgrove’ – ‘C. P.Raphill’ x ‘Moser’s Maroon’ a spectacular red flower, late blooming but a very bad plant habit and very badly damaged winter 2014/2015. Since both ‘C. P.Raphill’ and ‘Moser’s Maroon’ are not hardy on Long Island this seed must have come from the west coast. Nat Hess also had a plant with the same background and Nat and Hardgrove where good friends. Nat also corresponded with Halfdan Lem on the west coast. I wonder if Lem made the cross and sent the seed to Nat and he shared it with Hardgrove.

‘Banana Flip’ – I’ve never seen it bloom.

‘Beatrice Hyde’ My cross, named for my mother. White muchronulatum x white dauricum. I grew the white muchronulatum from seed from Gus Mehlquist. Sid Burns had the white dauricum that he had gotten from Guy Nearing.

‘Ben Mosley’ A good foliage plant with a mauve flower. Gets to be a major plant in the garden. Removed 10/2020. Not worth the space it took up.

‘Betty Hume’ A very nice pink Dexter plant. Great plant habit. In the ’70s was considered one of Dexter’s best hybrid.

‘Billy Wilder’ – A Dennis Mac Mullen hybrid. This is a copy of a photo that Dennis sent me. I do not know its background.

‘Blue Cloud’ – A Nat Hess hybrid, I don’t know its background. Very large plant. I only grow it as a remembrance of Nat.

Blue Yak – Flat leaves with a blue-green color. Sid Burns plant. Heavy indumentum. NOT a good doer. I don’t think I still have the plant.

Bob Shill – Whitney Orange x Golden Star. Jack Rosental cross. Named for a member of the NY Chapter ARS who also did hybridizing. See next picture for entire plant.

Bob Schill Plant

Brandywine – One of the Guyencourt hybrids of Guy Nearing. Lepidote.

‘Brookville’ One of the two hybrids of Howard Phipps crosses of ‘Westbury’ x ‘Meadowbrook’ done in 1935. Designated as noteworthy by the Dexter Committee in 1951. Propagated by Paul Vosburg.

‘Busy Bee’ – Beautiful, dense little plant covered with flowers in the spring.

carolinianum x augustinei – I got this plant from Sid Burns. I am not sure where he got it from but it might have been Hardgrove. It is quite hardy.

‘Carolina Rose’ – One of the strong lepidote hybrids that will set seed, but I don’t see many using it.

‘Catwalk’ – AKA Phipps 27. A Dexter seedling at the Phipps garden. Very fragrant, Pink/Yellow. Knockout plant. The Dexter Committee designated it “HP7” back in the late 1940s-early 1950s.

Hardgrove's Cerise Edge — Hardgrove’s ‘Cerise Edge’

‘Cerise Edge’ – Hardgrove’s description of plant: “Probably catawbeinse compactum x ‘Venator’. Low, dense plant, dark green foliage which the insects do not seem to like. Color very unique. A clear light yellow with an edging of bright cerise-pink.” H59-2. It is not low growing in my garden.

‘Chaumont’ A hybrid from Hochmann in Germany. A knockout flower. Plant habit not very good.

It makes a beautiful plant if grafted onto ‘Cunningham’s White’.

‘Cherries Jubilee’ – A Dexter plant at Dorothy Schlaijker’s garden which was originally Sam Everitt’s garden.

‘Cinnamon Bear’ A great indumented dwarf plant. I’ve not seen it bloom. I am not sure I still have it.

‘County Of York’ – A gross plant but is wonderful understock for grafting. Also called ‘Catalode’. ‘Catawbiense album’ x ‘Lodri King George’. Could be the starting point for those who want a large leaved hybrid. I do not think it is attractive. It roots very easily.

‘Consolini’s Windmill’ A beautiful bi-color from Tony Consolini. A “must have” in every garden.

‘David Gable’ – Everyone should grow this plant. It blooms unfailingly every year with a perfect, large pink truss.

‘Debutant’ – yak x ‘Mars’. Bob Robbins made the cross. Very nice plant, but pink. Slight tomentum on the top of the leaf, but no indumentum. Can’t be registered as there is a registered azalea with the same name.

degronianum PF This is the plant that Planting Fields purchased from Don Hardgrove in 1964. I don’t know where Hardgrove got the seed, probably Nearing. It makes a beautiful plant. You have to be a species lover to like it.

Dexter Pink #1 – A selection of Paul Vossberg. In the 1960’s a very desirable plant. Now there are other Dexter pinks that surpass it.

‘Dexter Spice’ – A Dexter plant with a spice fragrance. Very large white. Open growing and becomes a large plant. There are a lot of better whites. Very difficult to root, mine is a grafted plant. Not worth the space.

‘Donna Hardgrove’ – Hardgrove’s most intense yellow/orange. I don’t consider is very ornamental in the garden. Easy to root. In 1964 Hardgrove wrote of this plant: “Before buds start to open, it is red and when the flower first opens it is apricot-pink. Then as the flower opens fully, it is orange. On the same truss you will have all of these colors at once.” As you can see, Hardgrove thought highly of it. Hardgrove later said that it was his best hybrid.

‘Dora Amateis’ – The best of the Amateis hybrids. Very hardy white lepidote. Sterile. Sid Burns bought the plant from Bill Effinger, a nurseryman who became ill and couldn’t continue on with the nursery. Sid propagated it like crazy. (It roots very easily.) All the plants you see of it are propagations of Sid’s plants. In full sun will get lace wing fly. In old age (25 – 30 years) it will tend to be a ground cover. Very hardy. Some people think that there are three clones of the cross all called ‘Dora Amateis’. Sid began to think so too. Hot plant in the 70’s, but you don’t see it too much anymore.

‘Dorothy Russell’ – Quite a nice Dexter red. Gets to be a large plant. Damaged quite badly in winter of 03-04. (-1 degree F). Badly damaged winter of ’10/’11.

‘Dorothy Schlaijker’ – Nat Hess named this for a lovely lady and past President of the NY Chapter ARS. I have never seen it bloom. My plant is very small and not doing well.

‘Dumper Yellow’ – Henry Dumper got seed from the RHS at Wisley of fortunei and grew them on. In those days, Wisley sent out open pollinated species seed as the true species. This is obviously a hybrid as it is NOT fragrant. It has given some good yellow hybrids. Very difficult to root and really not a good doer. Low growing.

Edgemont – A Dexter hybrid from Tyler Aboretum.

‘Elli Green’ ‘‘Janet Blair’ x strigillosum. Nice plant and a good start for red hybrids. Early blooming.

‘Erchless’ – Named by Howard Phipps. fortunei x ‘Mrs Furnivill’ . Very leggy. Flower is terrific. It is the name of a castle in Scotland.

Erchelss x Purple Splendour — ‘Erchless’ x ‘Purple Splendour’

‘Erchless x Purple Splendour‘ – A George Woodard hybrid with a nice rich color but gets to be VERY open growing.

‘Fantistica’ – A knockout Hochmann hybrid but tends to become open growing. It is a ‘Mars’ – yak hybrid and it has some of the ‘Mars’ miseries. 4/2015: I have seen on the internet that if you cut off the plant 15 – 18 inches from the ground the stump will form new shoots that give you a rounded plant. Plant gets enormous, but when covered with these red flowers will certainly catch your eye. Very easy to root. My hybrids of it are blued red flowers and not a good color.

4/2019: I cut down the original plant as it became ugly.

‘Gabel’s Redhead’-A nice plant from Joe Gabel. A Good color, low growing. Not many trusses on the plant.

‘Gate Cream’ – This is a plant that I have. Not the ‘Gate Cream’ from Heritage Plantation. This plant is from the Collins collection at Planting Fields. Cream color, fragrant. (Judge Collins was an early collector of Dexter hybrids). He eventually sold his land to Nassau County as a park, Takapausha Preserve, and sold most of his Dexter plants to Mr. Coe at Planting Fields. Some of his rhododendrons were also moved to Eisenhower Park. I’ve used this in hybridizing and gotten some nice plants.

George’s Purple Bud’. This spring I will take a picture of the flower. It is something special.

‘Gertrude Saxe’ – Named after my Aunt Gert. My hybrid. Pink Carolina x pink muchronulatum . Blooms in early May. Is very hardy for me. My plant is about 12′ across.

‘Gibralter’ A deciduous azalea with a very strong orange color.

‘GiGi’ – A Dexter red with black spots. Growing in the Ross garden as Ross GG. Thus its name. A very good-doer in the garden. Gets to be very large and somewhat open growing. Easy to root.

GiGi x degroniam PF — ‘GiGi’ x degroniam PF

‘GiGI’ x degronianum PF My hybrid but nothing special.

‘Ginny Gee’ – Warren Berg’s plant. Terrific for the small garden. Perfectly hardy for me. Usually covered with flowers.

TT 83 = (Glass White x fabia) x Phipps Yellow. In loom May 1st.2021

Glass White x Fabia. I might have the wrong label on this.

‘Glenalden’ A dexter from the Philadelphia area.

‘Glowlight’ – One of Hardgrove’s best crosses. An intense yellow/orange. Mentioned in article in the Summer, 2003 issue of the Quarterly. ‘Fabia’ x Hardy fortunei. Hardgrove wrote the following description of the plant: “The closest to orange from a distance. A blend of salmon and yellow but a bright color not the usual pastel. Actually glows. 13 flowered truss. Very fine”. Probably Hardgrove’s best hybrid. (my opinion)

“Fabia’ = dichroanthum x griersonianum

GothamRheingold. Scintillation x Phipps Yellow. A Werner Brack hybrid. A quite intense color.

‘Golden Star’ – Hardgrove yellow. Good color but leggy plant. Dies back a lot. Hardy fortunei x croceum. Hardgrove wrote about this plant: “This is the deepest yellow of any of this cross. Flowers of fine modelling with a chartreuse colored throat marking. Very good foliage. Flowers about 3 1/2″ across, 8 to the truss, 16 stamins. The flower color of this plant compares favorably with any of the modern yellows”. Its biggest drawback is its leggy growth. Roots easily. Two very large plants were killed winter of 10/11. Sometimes will give fall flowers.

‘Golfer’ – My plant is only 2 or 3 years old, but it is obviously going to be a great, dwarf, indumented plant.

‘Gomer Waterer’ – Reported to throw polyploid seedlings. Open pollinated seed should be grown. I have never gotten pollen to take on it nor have I ever seen seed on it. It is a triploid.

‘Gorden Jones’ My cross, Werner Brack named it. See also ‘Tiana’ a sister seedling.

‘Great Scott’

‘Halolite’ – Hardgrove cross. Hardy fortunei x (wardii x dichroanthum). Hardgrove describes: “Yellow with wide edge of soft salmon pink. Lovely. Very floriferous.” H58-14, Very large plant killed winter of 2013/2014.

Hardgrove 58-6 – Hardy fortunei x (wardii x dichroanthum). In 1958 Hargrove wrote about this plant: “Yellow blended orange-yellow. Fine textured, front facing flowers, over 3″ across. Very floriferous and a vigorous grower. Possible the most beautiful thing yet.” Original plant was sold to Planting Fields in 1964.

Hardgrove 60-4. Sid Burns purchased this plant from Hardgrove in 1964 but for some reason didn’t do much with it. Seems to be quite hardy for me.

Hardgrove 64-1: – ((catawbiense compactum x (lacteum x ‘Mary Swaithling’)) x (campylocarpum x ‘Penjerrick’) In 1964 Hardgrove said of this plant: “5 lobes, tawny gold, good depth of color, floriferous, opens slowly”. This is quite yellow but the flowers and truss somewhat small. Flowers are 2″ across.

Hardgrove’s White **Hardgrove White** – Dory Royce got this plant from Hardgrove in 1964. A very good white. I don’t know is background. Complete blast winter of 2013/2014

Notes:

5/1/19-Very, very good. Covered with white flowers.

4/15/20: Covered with flowers, no blast.

Harold Amateis Truss

‘Harold Amateis’ – A very fine red, but a shy bloomer and open growing. maximum x strigilosum if you believe it, I don’t although it does show some maximum traits: blooms late in the season, is leggy and has small leaflets surrounding the flower buds. A beautiful red color. Perfectly hardy for me.

‘Helen Everitt’ – Wonderful white but almost never opens a full truss. 1 or 2 pips are always winter killed. A wonderful story behind this plant: Henry Fuller’s daughter worked for a florist and helped with the flowers at the wedding of one of Sam Everitt’s daughters. Sam was so happy with the flowers, that he gave a little unbloomed, potted Dexter seedling to Henry’s daughter. She didn’t know what to do with it so she gave it to her father. Henry near fell over when he saw it bloom and entered it in the New York Rhododendron Society show where it was a knock-out. After the show, Sid Burns took the entry home and stuck it in his propagating frame. Out of dumn luck it rooted. He could never root it again!! I tried rooting it with 4% IBA in early February and it worked. My plant is about 10′ wide.

‘Hofstra’ Closeup.

‘Hofstra’ ‘Jean Marie’ x ‘Target Rock’ fortunei. During a garden tour, the director of the Hofstra Collage Arboretum said that the color of this flower was not in the Pantone Color Book and that the book was the work of a gentleman who gave a significant of amount of money to Hofstra College. So I gave him the plant for display in the arboretum and we will register it as ‘Lawrence Herbert’ this fall (2022). A picture of the whole plant follows.

Hofstra, Whole plant.

‘Horizon Monarch’ West coast plant that seems to do well for me. Quite a truss.

Notes: 5/1/19 Some pips blasted. Winter low +5 F

HP31 – The Dexter committee numbered this Dexter hybrid in Howard Phipps’ garden. At the time it was considered a great yellow. (The color in the picture is off a little.) Now it doesn’t compare to modern yellows.

hyperythrum x ‘Martha Phipps’ George Woodard has two selected seedlings of this cross. This is the one selected for good plant habit. The other was selected for it flowers. I have both. Blooms very early in May.

Notes: 5/1/19 Especially beautiful.

‘Jean Marie’ – Fairly hardy for me. I have a tough time getting pollen to take on it. Historically, has thrown some fantastic seedlings. I try every year and now have several hybrids of it with (“Peter Faulk” x “Red Crown) that George Woodard has. I put a hardy fortunei and got 10 very special seedlings that seem to be triploids. I gave all of them to Planting Fields ‘Hofstra’ shown above.

Jean Marie Tetra – From the West Coast. A knock out when in bloom. It sure has thick leaves and stems. Pink, not red but this might not be JM Tetra because of the flower color or it is mislabeled.

Jean

‘Joshephine Everitt’ – A pink Dexter plant found on the Everitt estate. Gets very open growing. Not worth growing it. Removed 2020.

Katarina – Nice salmon pink. Ray Kruse hybrid. Not registered. Ray told me the cross, (yak x ‘Azor’) but I don’t believe him. Too much color for that cross. A very ornamental plant.

Kathryn Roboul – spinuliferum x racemosum F2 hybrid from Hardgrove. Not much unless you love lepidotes then it is quite nice.

Kristi Lynn – George Woodard hybrid. Large yellow flower, open growing.

Ken Jannek – Heavy indumentum. Strong roots. Light pink flower. Quite hardy. Gets to be major plant in the garden.

La Bar’s White – An important historical plant, but not very ornamental. Very leggy. Was much in demand when many were making catawbiense crosses. It is a pure white cultivar of catawbiense that has no lavender in it at all. Was supposed to impart hardyness and no color in its offspring. Discovered by Russell Harmon of La Bar’s Nursery in Straudsberg, Pa. somewhere where catawbiense grows. I don’t know if I have ever seen a hybrid registered with this in its background. Will not root, must be grafted, layered or tissue cultured. Not worth growing.

Lady L – A Dexter red with black spots on the flower from the Ross garden. Known as Ross L. Thus the name. Sid Burns introduced this. Gets to be major plant in the garden.

Mac Kinnon’s Favorite – A Dexter seedling growing at the Phipps Estate. Rock hardy, beautiful pink. About 15′ high now but not open growing. Spectacular every spring. Just a great garden plant. Named after Ewen Mac Kinnon, the estate superintendent at the Phipps garden who admired the plant every spring. Not registered.

Margolit – A Nat Hess plant. Nat told me two stories about this plant at different times. Once he said he made the cross of ‘Cavalcade’ x Hardy fortunei. Then later, he said the seed came from Hafden Lem and he didn’t know its background. (Nat got a lot of seed from Lem.) It is flesh colored, perfect sphere of a truss and hardy to +5 F. It is the Hebrew spelling of Nat’s wife’s first name Margaret.

Markeeta’s Flame – A west coast super red. Seems to do well for me.

Mars – 100 years old and still a terrific red but not a good doer in the garden. Weak roots and leggy growth. But the flower!!!!!!!

Mary Fleming – Guy Nearing hybrid named in honor a wonderful lady at the New York Botanic Garden.

Mary Phipps – George Woodard hybrid. Beautiful plant with tight, globe of a flower.

Marybelle – One of Joe Gable’s nicest hybrids.

maximum x yak Wonderful late bloomer. From Sid Burns.

‘Mariness Koster’ enormous pink truss. Only holds leaves one year, leggy.

Meadowbrook – ‘Mrs. C. S. Sargent’ x ‘Pink Everestineanum’. Paul Vossberg hybrid. Paul was always insistent that you said ‘Pink Everestineanum’ not just ‘Everestineanum’ when you spoke of the parents of ‘Meadowbrook’. In the late 1920’s, Clem Bowers was making a lot of ironclad crosses at Hicks Nursery where Paul Vossberg worked. Paul decided to copy a Bowers cross of ‘Mrs. C. S. Sargent’ x ‘Everestineanum’ but used the pink form of ‘Everestineanum” instead of the ironclad form that Clem used. The pink form has a pubescent overy and the ironclad form has a glabrous overy, was lavender and was used in ‘Roslyn’ . Paul told me that there were only three good seedlings in the group of 105 seedlings of the cross and he named the best of the lot ‘Meadowbrook’.

Mist Maiden – David Leach’s yakushimanum or yakushimanum hybrid. Is very nice, especially when it gets old.

Mr. W. R. Coe – Dexter plant found on the Parker Estate. No longer in the garden.

Mrs. Howard Phipps – (‘Mars’ x ‘Naomi’) x ‘Naomi’ A very large knock-out pink. Very large leaves. Howard used ‘Naomi’ many times.

Notes: 5/1/19 Wide open growing when in partial shade.

5/22/21 Very large truss, but still very open growing.

Mrs Woodrew Wilson — Mrs. Woodrow Wilson

Mrs. Woodrow Wilson – A Nat Hess hybrid. Enormous plant, lavender flower. I don’t know the cross. Could be ‘Cavalcade’ x hardy fortunei.

Nathan Hale – A Dexter seedling found on the Parker estate. Later owned by Dorothy & Hugo Schlaijker. Pink. Chosen by Paul Vossburg.

Notes: 5/1/19 Very aggressive plant. Gets to be enormous.

Nestucca – A very nice white hybrid. Slow growing. yak x fortunei, a C. Smith hybrid and a beautiful foliage plant.

Oliver Twist- ‘Charles Dickens’ x yak. Very early yak hybrid and surpassed now by newer hybrids. Not worth growing.

Orange Sherbet – Hardgrove hybrid. It is wishful thinking to think the flower looks like orange sherbet. Hardgrove didn’t mention it in his notes. Hardgrove gave it to Sid Burns as a special favor. Not worth growing.

Painted Star – Hardgrove hybrid. The parent of one of his better things. Not worth growing. Gone from the garden.

Parker’s Pink – Probably the best Dexter pink. Found on the Parker estate (later owned by Dorothy & Hugo Schlaijker). Grows agressively.

Paul’s Pink – Was going to be called ‘Paul’s Hot Pink’ because of the color. Muchronulatum seedling of intense color. Paul Vossberg grew many generations of pink muchronulatums to get this plant. Much better than ‘Cornell Pink’ . Cuttings should be taken about July 15th. Like all deciduous azaleas, after rooting there must be a flush of growth before autumn leaf drop or it will not break dormancy the next spring. This is usually accomplished by artificial lighting.

Notes: 5/1/19 Very good this spring.

Pete Lo Truglio – A very nice williamsianum hybrid that Pete had. I don’t know if it was his cross or someone else’s. Pete was quite friendly with an early hybridizer/grower named Vorringer. It might have been one of his seedlings. Bloom with Taurus, so no one looks at this.

Notes: 5/1/19 Very good this year. Full trusses about a week after ‘Taurus’.

Peter Faulk x Red Crown This is a George Woodard hybrid that I like a great deal and have used it in hybrids. Very good color.

Notes: 5/1/19 Full trusses. Blooms about a week after ‘Taurus’.

12/15/21 Many fall flowers.

(Peter Faulk x Red Crown) x Jean Marie. Several selected hybrids in the garden. See “Selected Rhododendron Hybrids” on this site.

Phipps 27, AKA Catwalk – A selection of Dexter seedlings at the Phipps Estate identified by the Dexter committee. Not a bad yellow and very fragrant. Slow growing. Good plant habit.

Phipps 32 – AKA ‘Phipps Yellow’. The original seedling has always kept a low growing style which, for yellow, is quite unusual. It is yellow. No one knows the exact cross, but after looking at Howard Phipps’ hybridizing notes I believe it to be: (Yellow seedling x ‘Golden Star’). Yellow seedling was probably: (Hardgrove Hicks Yellow x ‘Naomi’) x ‘Crest’. Hardgrove Hicks Yellow is probably: hardy fortunei x (dichroanthum x wardii).

Hardgrove was not good at growing seed, so he gave his seed to Paul Vosburg to germinate and grow over the winter for him. In the spring Hardgrove would buy the seedlings from Paul, but if Hardgrove didn’t have enough money, Paul was free to sell the seedlings to anyone. Paul had a close and old relationship with Henry Hicks at Hicks Nursery and undoubtedly sold a flat or two of Hardgrove seedling to Henry. Howard Phipps was a frequent customer at Hicks Nursery so he was certainly able to get Hardgrove pollen or even plants from Hicks (without Hardgrove’s knowledge).

12/22 Rooted cuttings grow to enormous plans but it seems to be get root rot easily. The original plant at the Phipps died. Very hard to root.

Phipps 33 Perfect truss form. A very commercial plant.

Phipps 42 A beautiful bi-color truss, but it wants to die and when it lives it has a plant habit worse than Sappho.

Phipps 51 Probably the Phipps hybrid with the largest flowers. Open growing.

Phipps 51 x Snow’s Red A George Woodard hybrid.

Phipps 75 Another large pink on a large growing plant. Unknown parents.

Phipps 87 – Another pink hybrid. Unknown parents.

Phipps 84 A Phipps hybrid that is very special in the garden.

Unknown parents.

Notes: 5/1/19 Beginning to be open growing.

Phipps 95 – Unknown parents.

Phipps 114 – Another pink Phipps hybrid. Unknown parents.

Phipps 128 Mr. Phipps greatly enjoyed white rhododendrons and this must have pleased him greatly. 7/2014. My very old plant died, root rot. I have a small plant. Unknown parents.

Phyllis Korn A polyploid with a very large flower. Some blast in the buds. My original plant is terrible looking and will be discarded.

Platinum Pearl It is a triploid. Seems hardy for me. Open growing. Not for the small garden. Turns into an ugly plant.

Pierce’s American Beauty A polyploid with a great pink flower.

Pink Cherub An early yak hybrid and much sort after in the late ’60 and early ’70s. We have much better now.

Pink Everestineanum – Used to create ‘Meadowbrook’, See Meadowbrook for some interesting details. Gone from the garden.

Pink Wallaper – Pink Wallaper The plant lives in my garden, but I have never seen it bloom. It is a tetraloid. Very bad leaf burn winter 10/11. Much damaged winter 2014/2015. I am determined to get a flower on it.

PJM Tetra – I question if it is a tetrapoloid.

pseudochrysanthum

Early bloomer and quite hardy.

Prince Camille de Rohan

A very old cultivar that blooms very early in the season

Quaker Girl With Ginny Gee in foreground

Quaker Girl – Very early bloomer. All buds blasted winter of 2013/2014. 12/22 Getting open growing and a large plant.

Notes: 5/1/19 If not dead headed will set enormous amount of seed and not bloom next year. Probably not worth growing it.

Queen Alice

Red Head – Open truss. Much sought-after plant 30 years ago. Its proper name is ‘Gable’s Red Head’. Not worth growing. See ‘Gable’s Red Head’ in this section which shows a much better color of he truss.

Red House – It is red all right but not ornamental. Doesn’t compare to what we have now.

Red River x Maxine Mehlquist Another George Woodard red hybrid. New growth is wine color and very ornamental. God looking foliage. This is a very nice plant.

Romani Chai – I’ve seen it bloom once in my garden in the last 20 years. Two flowers opened! It is red though. No longer in the garden.

Rona Pink – A very nice pink Dexter. Tom Koenig selection. Very hardy for me.

Rose de Bretagne (The “Rose” should have an accent mark on the “e”) The registeed 4N Hybrid of Marc Colonbel of France. Still a slmall plant but with beautiful foliage.

Ross RR – Dexter selection at the Ross estate. Nice red.

Royal Star – Hardgrove hybrid. Carolina x augustinei. Bad leaf burn winter 10/11.

Russell Harmon Supposed to be maximum x catawbiense and reputed to be very hardy. I’ve not seen any hybrids registered with it in its background. My plant is in miserable shape. 4/2015 dead.

SAE “A” – Paul Vossberg selected this plant at Sam Everitt’s garden. Never named it.

There are better Dexter pinks but this one is very hardy and can take the sun.

Sam Everitt – A Dexter plant at Sam Everitt’s garden that both Sid Burns and Nat Hess had. Very fragrant pink. Susceptible to petal blight. Not registered. Used in many of my hybrids. This is not a good picture of the plant.

Sappho – As leggy as ever and as beautiful as ever. See hybrids of it: TT144 & TT98.

Schlaijker Yellow – AKA ‘Hardgrove’s Deepest Yellow’. hardy fortunei x (dichroanthum x wardii). Hardgrove sold this plant to Dorothy & Hugo Schlaijker in 1964. It is open growing but quite yellow. Sid Burns had a large plant of it in his garden that bloomed every year with little damage growing in a lot of sun. It seems to be bud hardy to at least -5 F. It roots easily. Missing a top flower in the truss. It is a better yellow than the picture indicates. Hardgrove called it his deepest yellow.

Notes: 5/1/19 ‘Golden Star’ is deeper yellow. No top flower in truss.

schlippenbachii The Royal Azalia of Korea is a beautiful addition to any garden. Rock hardy. See also White schlippenbachii.

Notes: 5/1/19 Especially beautiful this year.

Scintillation – The standard, commerical Dexter pink for the North East. Paul Vossberg found this plant at the NY Botanic Garden and propagated it. Several years after Paul started rooting cuttings of it, the original plant was washed away in a flood. I asked Paul how he came up with the name and he told me that one day he was admiring the plants in bloom in a nursery row and realized it was scintillating. Thus the name.

‘Scintillation’ x ‘Mars. My hybrid. Very leggy.

Scintillation x yak – A Ray Kruse cross. Magnificent plant habit, very hardy but gets to be an enormous plant. Mine in 2016 is 15′ across. If you have the space it is magnificent. Named ‘Al Muller’ 2019.

Shalimar – Dorothy Schlaijker named this Dexter Plant found in her garden (the old Parker estate).

Shorom – A werner Brack hybrid. I don’t know its background.

smirnowii x makinoi seed lot 88-1324 ARS seed exchange. Not worth growing.

Solidarity – A great hybrid from Hank Schannen. Probably a triploid.

Speckeled Honey A Dennis Mac Millen hybrid. This is a copy of a photo that Dennis sent me. I do not know its background.

Sphinx – Blotched plant. Not a good doer.

Spring Song – Sister seedling of ‘Mary Fleming’. Hardgrove got it from Nearing. ‘Mary Fleming’ is probably better and more yellow.

Star Sapphire Hardgrove cross of Carolina x augustinii.

Notes: 5/1/19 Very good bright blue. Very nice.

Sun Dust – An almost orange hybrid from the Andersons. Stands out in the garden, perfectly hardy for me.

Susan Everitt – Very late blooming Dexter seedling. Found at the Everitt garden. No one ever sees it as it is so late to bloom.

Targwt Rock fortunei — Target Rock fortunei

Target Rock Fortunei – Hardgerove received two plants of “hardy fortune” that Joe Gable and Guy Nearing developed between 1930 and 1950. He used one to create his yellow hybrids and sold this one to Mr. Ebberstadt whose estate was named Target Rock. Gets to be a major plant in the garden. Not worth it unless you have a very large garden and you like species.

Taurus – A spectacular red triploid that is hardier than you would think. In 2020 bloomed 4/15. Usually blooms 5/5.

Tiana – I was kidding Sid Burns one year about making rhododendron crosses and said the most obvious cross was to put yakushimanum onto Sappho and I couldn’t believe no one had done it. He had both plants and said that I should do. So I did and gave some seed to Werner Brack. Werner named this ‘Tiana’ and and another ‘Gordon Jones’ from his batch of seedlings. (Sorry it is out of focus.)

Utopia– I don’t know much about the background of this as it was a gift many years ago. Nice plant habit.

Vulcan

Vulcan’s Flame

‘Voluptuious’ x Phipps Yellow George Woodard cross and very nice in the garden. ‘Voluptuious’ is a Werner Brack cross.

‘Westbury’ – An original Dexter plant used by Howard Phipps in his first hybrids. Crossed with ‘Meadowbrook’ it gave ‘Wheatly’ & ‘Brookville’. I believe though that ‘Westbury’ was open pollenated (probably selfed) to produce ‘Wheatly’ & ‘Brookville’ as it was Howard Phipps’ habit to allow the flower to completely open, unprotected from insects, and then to cross onto it. ‘Westbury’ blooms much later that most other Dexter plant.

Wheatly – One of Howard Phipps’ first named hybrids. See info under ‘Westbury’. Very nice, good looking plant.

White Wedding Beautiful foliage plant. Long narrow leaves. makinoi x yakushemanum.

White schlippenbachii Yes it is pure white. I got this from Henry Homan at Kingsville Nurseries in Maryland about 35 – 40 years ago. Very hard to propagate. I think I heard that if a major root was cut with a spade a new plant would grow from the severed root. I never tried it. I send seed to the Seed Exchange almost every year.

Whitestone A hose in hose white flower hybridized by Paul Vossburg. No, I don’t know how he got it. Good looking plant too.

Wisley yak seedling – I received this as a cutting from Carl Phetterplace about 35 – 40 years ago. He said it came from Wisley garden in the UK. It is a yak hybrid but still lovely.

Wissahicken – Dexter hybrid with very bad plant habit. Much sort after when it first came out. Not worth growing because of its plant habit. 11/2002 – removed from garden.

Wandanch Pink — Wyandanch Pink (2 trusses)

Wyandanch Pink – A wonderful Dexter pink but must be 10 years old to bloom. Loading the soil with super phosphate will make it bloom young. Just watch out you don’t poison the soil with too much super phosphate. Some recommend using it to impart hardyness to hybrids. Beautiful foliage and plant. Very hardy. Could be grown as a foliage plant.

yakushimanum x adenopodum Very dense growing with attractive indumentum. My cross. Shy bloomer.

yakushimanum x smirnowii I have several different clones from different hybridizers. All of them are great garden plants.

Z – A red with black spots Dexter. From the Ross garden. Known there as Ross Z. Thus its name.

Follows is a complete list of the hybrids in the garden without pictures. It also shows if I have multiple plants of the same name. It does not include 1 or 2 year old plants.

Hybrid Name

(AN x HK) x TT178 NYB

150 HS

Acclaim

Acclaim on Roseu Elegans

Acclaim on yak

Acclaim x Martha

Accomplishment

Adelle Lovitt

adenogynum

adenophorum PL

adenopodum Carmine Ragonese

Adenopodum Hardgrove

adenopodum Hardgrove

adenopodum Murcott

adenopodum PF

adenopodum seedling

America

Andy Paton

Anita Gehnrich

Anna Hall

Anna Rose Whitney

Anna x Mariness Koster

Anne Hadgove

Anne Hardgrove

Anne Hardgrove x JM NYB

Anne Hardgrove x yak

augustinii x carolinianum

Barbara Hardgrove

Bearice Hyde

Beatrice Hyde

Bee Hives

Beineke 21

Beinke 21

Ben Mosley

Betty Hume

Blue Cloud

Bongo

brachycarpum HK

Brandywine

Brookville

Carolina Rose

carolina x moupemense

carolinianum

Cerise Edge?

Charmont

Cherries Jubilee

Cherry Cheescake

colundulaceum seedling

County of York

Crete

David Gable

Phipps 51

Debutant

degronianum AE

degronianum PF (PF = Planting Fields)

Dexter Spice

DH1

Dick’s Big Red

discolor Exbury

Donna Hadgrove

Donna Hardgrove

Dorothy Russell

Double Pleasure

Dumper Yellow

Edgemont

Ed’s Golden

Epic

Erchless

Fantastica

fortunei

fortunei hardy form

fortunei Target Rock

Francesca

Gate Cream

Gertrude Saxe

Gi Gi

Gi Gi x degronianum

Gi Gi x TT18

Ginny Gee

Glass White x fabia

Glow Lighrt

Glow Light

Golden Star

Golden star

Gomer Waterer

Gotham Rheingold

H58-6

H64-1

Halo Light

Hardgrove White

hardy fortunei

Harold Amateis

Helen Everitt

Helen Everitt x Mrs C Butler

HS4

hyperythrum

Hyperythum x Martha plant

Jan Dekins

Janet Blair x (Margo x Woodbench) NYB
NYB = Not yet bloomed

Jean Marie

Jean Marie Tetra

Jean Marie x yak FCC NYB

Joe Gable azalia

Josaphine Everitt

Kalmia Latifolia Bulls Eye

Karen Triplet x Big Deal

Katarina

Kathryn Roboul

keiskei x racemosum

Ken Jannek

Lady Alice Fitzwilliam

Lady L

Lalmia latafolia Olympic Fire

Lehigh Gold

Like Mrs. Furnival

Mac Kinnon’s Favorite

makinoi

Margha Phipps

Margo x (Halfdan Lem x Acclaim)

Margo x Debutant

Margolit

Margolit?

Margret S. Coe

Mariness Koster

Mars

Martha Phipps

Martha Phipps ?

Martha Phipps on CW

Mary Fleming

Mary Phipps

Marybelle

Measowbrook

metternichii Exbury

metternichii PF

Mist Maiden

Mrs. Charles Butler

Mrs. Howard Phipps

Mrs. Woodrew Wilson

muchronulatum B von Wettburg

Nassell x Big Deal

Nathan Hale

Nestucca

New Hope

Oliver Twist

Orange Sherbert

pachysanthum

Parker’s Pink

Paul’s Pink muchronulatum

Pete Lotruglio

Phipps 106

Phipps 107

Phipps 114

Phipps 128

Phipps 26

Phipps 27 (Catwalk)

Phipps 32

Phipps 32 2% to root

Phipps 33

Phipps 42

Phipps 51

Phipps 51 ?

Phipps 84

Phipps 87

Phipps 91

Phipps 95

Phipps 97

Phipps 99

Pierce’s American Beauty

Pink Cherub

PJM Tetra

Platinum Pearl

Prince Camile de Rohan

prunifolium Hohman

pseudochrysanthum x yak

Quaker Girl

Queen Alice

Raspberry Glow (kalmia)

Ray Kruise

Red Head

Red House

Red Tetra

Romany Chi

Rona Pink

Ross RR

RR x MM

Schlaijker Yellow

Salmon Seedling of Pioneer seedling

Sam #veritt

Sam Everitt

Sappho

Sappho x yak OP

Sappho x yak seedling OP

Scgkauhjer Yellow

Schlaijker Yellow

Schlippenbachii Alba

Scint x JM NYB

Scint x yak

Scint x yak OP Seedling, OP

Scintillation x yak

Shalamar

Sir Lancelot

smirnowii x yak

Soladarity

Solidarity

Sphinx

Spring Song

Super Nova x Very Berry

Susan Everitt

Taurus

tAURUS

Taurus

Tetra Pink

Tiana

TT1

Utopia

Vernacosum Rock 18135

Very Berry

Very Bery

Vulcan

Vulcan’s Flame x yak R Kruise

Westbury

Westport

Wheatley

White Find

White Metternichii JN

White Wedding

Whitestond

Whitestone

Windbeam or Wyonokie

Wissahicken

Wyandan h Pink

Wyandanch Pink

yajk FCC

yak FCC

yak Phetterplace

yak seedling from Wisley

yak x adenopodum

yak x Whitestone

Yaku Rose Splender

Yaku Sunrise x Bambi

yakushemanum SF-73-308

Yankee Doodle (kalmia)

Yellow carolina