He and his wife Joan operate Hammonds Acres of Rhodys in Arlington, Washington. Arlington is a ways north of Seattle where the rains hardly ever stop. Their nursery's catalog of rhodies contains hundreds of varieties.
Dave promises to give us a slide tour of his nursery and display garden. He may even show us some pictures of how he is trucking large stock plants down to Humptulips in western Washington. This is because he is in the midst of a years-long process of moving his wholesale operations there. Later on in the program he will share with us what he saw in his recent tour of Scotland.
Yes, you out-of-staters. There really is a Washintgon town called Humptulips. Also one called Tullalip, and another called Walla Walla.
Dave has held various offices in the American Rhododendron Society and received the Bronze medal from the Komo Kulshan Chapter in 2000. That citation states that he is widely “known for the great enthusiasm for rhododendrons he generously imparts to others.”
After the program we will have a RHODODENDRON HYBRID AUCTION. If you have any empty space in the yard, or if something didn't survive the winter, this is a great opportunity to replace it with an unusual rhododendron.