For the past two years, members of the Portland and Tualatin Valley ARS Chapters have been meeting to design an electronic database for rhododendrons. We will have our very own Dr. Forest Bump and Carol McCarthy on hand to demonstrate a prototype database during their presentation and discuss their plan for its future development.
The database group was initially motivated by the need for information to be readily available to identify plant traits so that new hybrids with specific traits could be developed. The group quickly realized that such a database would be useful for other purposes. They anticipate that gardeners will find it useful for selecting rhododendrons based on their characteristics, such as color, bloom time, height, optimal growing conditions, and hardiness. Growers and others in the nursery trade may find this database useful to learn about new rhododendrons of potential interest to their customers. The database group expects that researchers may query the database as part of a lifetime search for their projects. Of course, hybridizers should enjoy browsing through the common traits resulting from certain plant crosses.
The group hopes to get your input and ideas.
Following the meeting there will be a plant auction of hybrid rhododendrons- each with its own special characteristics and traits.If you need some more plants (in other words, rhododendrons) for your garden, this is the time and place for real bargains.