Numbered Hybrids in Garden

My general plan of action is to grow seedling hybrid rhododendrons in a field and, as they bloom, to select plants that show promise and transplant them to the display garden and watch them. These are "selected seedlings" (found on another part of the site when I get to it). After some time, if a "selected seedling" seems to be particularly good, I'll number it with a consecutive number with the prefix "TT" (last 2 letters of my last name) and propagate a few, just in case the original plant dies. Over time, many of these numbered seedlings turn out not to be as good as I originally thought and they are discarded. You will notice large gaps in the consecutive numbering of the current list of numbered hybrids. Sometimes I will number a seedling right from the field row if it seems really special. I have changed my plans to distribute not only my hybrids but any all ready named plants to rhododendron enthusiasts. We now have a wonderful way to easily and cheaply propagate rhododendrons in the person of Kathy Van Veen at Van Veen Nurseries in Portland, Oregon. She will custom root rhododendrons for you for $2.00 a cutting plus postage. I will send a cutting of any plant you see on my web site to Kathy. She will root it and send it (and the bill) directly to you. Please follow this proceedure: Call or e-mail Kathy and confirm what you want to do. e-mail me and tell me what cuttings you want sent. Cuttings are usually rooted from August to November or early December. I will send the cuttings to her and e-mail you what cuttings I have sent and ask you to reimburse the postage for the cuttings. Remember that most of the plants are young and only a small number of cuttings can be taken in a year. If I can't supply the cutting, I'll put you on a waiting list for next year. If a plant does well in your garden over the ensuing years, and you think it is worth naming and registering, you are welcome to do so. If I register any of my seedlings, I'll inform everyone via my web site so the same plant is not registered with different names by two people. Updated 10/31/06 Here is the list of the hybrids: TT1 - This is not my seedling. In 1964, Don Hardgrove decided to leave Long Island and move to Montana to run a hunting lodge there. He sold almost all of his rhododendrons to a New Jersey nurseryman named Kordus. He did sell about 20 of his most selected and named plants to members of the NY & Conn. chapters of the ARS. Sid Burns told me about this, and his desire to purchase many of the selected plants. I traveled to the garden in May, just to see it before its break-up. The garden was about an acre in size with tall oaks giving shade.Way off in a corner I saw a good yellow with a perfect truss. The plant was only 18" high. I told Sid about the plant and he asked Don about it. Don had forgotten he even had the plant and as a little reward gave me the plant together with two rooted cuttings of it, saying that I should name it. I've grown it on all these years (the original plant died). The truss is a perfect sphere, 7 lobes, with a top flower and is a good yellow. It almost never sets seed. I was able to use it once in a hybrid, see TT145. It's enormous drawback is its plant habit. It is very leggy. The flower will impress you. It roots very easily. There are some plants in the Mass. Chapter and I would be interested in learning how hardy it is. It is perfectly hardy for me, but that is not saying much. The plant was from a batch of 1954 seedlings (seed batch #152) of 'Painted Star' open pollenated. 'Painted Star' is 'Meadowbrook' x "Griercpy". I am assuming that "Griercpy" is griersonianum x campylocarpum. Since Don had a large number of yellow rhododendrons in his garden, I assume the pollen came from one of these as I don't know how else he could have gotten such a yellow hybrid. Which yellow the pollen came from is up for conjecture, but I assume it was hardy fortunei x (dichroanthum x wardii) as he also had a lot of these in the garden. TT2 - 64-18 hardy fortunei x (dichroanthum x wardii) open pollenated. I collected seed from one of the Hardgrove yellows Sid Burns purchased from Hardgrove in the spring of 1964. Seedling is yellow, but nothing to write home about especially with the yellows that are around now. TT10 - 64-8 'Caroline' x (hardy fortunei x 'Loderei King George') Pollen from Hardgrove plant. Seedling is mauve/pink, large flowers and fragrant. Major plant TT18 - 64-7 'Meadowbrook' x 'Pink Symphony'. 'Pink Symphony' is hardy fortunei x 'Diva'. This plant looks just like 'Cynthia' which is why I never propaged it. Perfect truss, major plant. Original plant died, I have 1 or 2 small plants. TT20 - 64-7 'Meadowbrook'x 'Pink Symphony'. (See TT18, sister seedling.) This seedling is white, so I suspect it is not the cross listed above. TT34 - 65-10 'Scintillation' x 'Schlaijker Yellow'. Pollen parent is hardy fortunei x (dichroanthum x wardii) that Dorothy Schlaijker bought from Hardgrove and is the deepest yellow of the Hardgrove hybrids. Seedling is Dexter-like pink. TT45 - 64-16 {(maximum x haematodes) x 'Firemusic'} x ?. Open pollenated in Don Hardgrove's garden. Seed picked off plant Sid Burns purchased from Hardgrove. 'Firemusic' is 'Venator' x dichroanthum. Seedling is white with pink/red picotee on edge of flower. Smallish flowers. Leggy. Sterile with no pollen. Has been difficult to root but now have one good plant. Flower buds are quite round. TT52 - 66-22 'Jean Marie de Montague' x ('Glass White' x orbiculare) Seed from ARS seed Exchange #67/305. I don't believe parents. Looks like a yak hybrid. Dense growing, white flower, not much different than many other yak hybrids. TT58 - 71-13 ('Scintillation' x 'Inamorata') x Hargrove yellow. light peach pink. Original plant died. Not seen it bloom in several years. I have 3 small plants. TT59 - 67-12 hardy fortunei x metternichii (pink form from Planting Fields). One of the several primary crosses I made using hardy fortunei. Very light pink with full round truss. TT60 - 72-58 'Mars' x 'Gill's Crimson'. Very red flowers, but leggy. Flowers are small. Blooms quite early in the spring. Plant is 7' high and is interesting covered with tufts of red, but is not worth propagating. TT64 - 'Anne Hardgrove' x yakushimanum. 'Anne Hardgrove' is 'C.P. Raffill x 'Moser's Maroon'. Seedling picked up the legginess from 'Anne Hardgrove' but does hold its leaves 4 years. Pink flowers. 'Anne Hardgrove' blooms very late in the season. When Sid Burns saw my seedlings, he decided to force 'Anne Hardgrove' to bloom early in his greenhouse and use yakushimanum as the seed parent to see if the seed parent affected the offspring. It did. TT71 - 'Anne Hardgrove' x yakushimanum. (See TT64 which is a sister seedling.) This is quite a lovely plant when it first blooms. It is more or less compact with vivid salmon flowers. The problem is that it fades all the way to white by the time it is finished. Some people thank that is great. I don't. See also TT99, a sister seeding. TT76 - 72-58 'Mars' x 'Gill's Crimson'. Sister seedling of TT77 and TT60. The earliest to bloom. TT77 - 72-58 'Mars' x 'Gill's Crimson'. Last to bloom. See TT76 and TT60. TT78 - 'Meadowbrook' x ('Jean Marie de Montague' x 'Grosclaude') Best new hybrid, 1984 ARS Show. Large red truss with large caylix, almost hose-in-hose. I've used it frequently in hybridizing. TT80 - strigillosum x metternichii. I think I received the seed from Jack Rosenthal. He was very interested in strigillosum. This is quite red. The original plant is dead but I have a few rooted cuttings that have not yet bloomed. TT81 - 68-3 (adenopodum x metternichii) x degronianum AE. Sid Burns had the seed parent from Joe Gable. I had gotten the pollen parent from the West Coast as very special favor from someone maybe Mrs. Berry. I still have the degronianum AE which is very dwarf, probably 24" in diameter now. TT81 is a wonderful, dense, lightly indumented, compact plant that holds it leaves 3 or 4 years and is loaded with quite large, pink flowers early in the spring. It blooms with 'Taurus' which kills it for TT81. TT82 - 74-23 'Helen Everitt' x pseudochrysanthum. Large white flower, strong grower, good looking plant. TT83 - 81-3 ('Glass White' x 'Fabia') x Phipps 32. The seed plant was one of the basic crosses Hardgrove made and has a lot more color than you would excect but does have a relatively small flower. I have not noticed it flower lately so I can't comment other than to say that I originally said it was very yellow. TT86 - 'Scintillation' x 'Sappho'. Leggy with a lovely blotched flower. Light mauve with blotch. Roots easily. See also TT98, sister seedling. TT87 - degronianum PF x 'Nestucca'. Globose white flower in tight, perfect truss. Good floiage, good plant habit. TT89 - 'Mars' x 'Jean Marie de Montague'. Bob Furman mentioned to me that this cross gave good reds, so I decided to try the cross. He was right! Several seedlings of the cross turned out to be great reds. I've numbered a couple. See also TT100 & TT97, sister seedlings. TT90 - 'Vulcan's Flame' x (yakushimanum x 'Mars'). ARS seed exchange seed lot# 75-534. Perfect pink truss. TT92 - Probably ('Scintillation' x 'Inamoratta') x Hardgrove yellow. A beautiful plant all year round with cream flowers. TT93 - Not sure of parents. Super hot pink. Tall growing but squeezed in between some other tall plants. TT95 - yakushimanum Exbury x degronianum Planting Fields. I have many plants of this cross and I numbered this clone when I first saw it because of the foliage, which is great and the perfect white truss. I have at lease three other plants from this cross that could by numbered but I don't think the world needs another yak-like white rhododendron. TT96 - I am not sure of the parents. I have one tag on the plant that says 'Annanouri' open and another that says 'C.P.Raffill' x 'Moser's Maroon' from Lem that I got from Nat Hess. All I can say is that it sure is red. To make things more interesting, Hardgrove also made the 'C.P.Raffill' x Moser's Maroon' cross ('Anne Hardgrove') and had a lot of seedlings of the cross and Nat Hess was friendly with Hardgrove. TT97 - 'Mars' x 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague'. I keep forgetting to put "The Honorable" in front of "Jean Marie etc" so forgive me. See also sister seedlings TT89 and TT100. All nice reds. TT98 - 'Scintillation' x 'Sappho'. See also TT86 a sister seedling. TT98 is, to my eye, a nicer color flower, still with a blotch. TT100 - 'Mars' x 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague'. The last of this cross to be numbered. As with the others, a very nice red. See also TT97 and TT89. TT101 - 81-2 'Schlaijer Yellow' x 'Phipps 32'. See TT34 for comments on 'Schlaijker Yellow'. Strong yellow, but it hasn't bloomed in the last few years so I really can't comment on it. See also TT103, a sister seedling. TT102 - 72-67 'Yaku Dawn' x strigillosum. Seed from Jack Rosenthal. Deep pink, open growing. TT103 - 81-2 'Schlaijker Yellow' x Phipps 32. Good yellow, leggy. Good truss. See also TT101, a sister seedling. TT107 - 85-39 'Mary Belle' x 'Margolit'. See also TT148, a sister seedling and probably better. Flesh colored flower, strong plant. TT109 - Scintillation x Inammorata Cross done in 1965. Many appreciated it at 1992 annual meeting tour. TT111 - TT1 open pollenated. One of the very few seedlings from TT1. Good color yellow but leggy TT113 - Pink Carolina x Paul's Pink Muchronulatum open pollenated. Semi deciduous with red/purple flowers. Roots easily. Somewhat attractive in early spring. TT115 - GiGi x Debutant. Debutant is Mars x yak. Luminous pink, major plant. TT116 - (Jean Marie x yak) x Grand Slam. Only one seed from this cross germanated. Probably a tetraploid. Pink TT117 - Appricot Fantasy x Martha Phipps. Very strong yellow. One of my best yellows. A little open growing. Sister of TT120 & TT122 TT118 - TT105 x TT104 Cross 91-59. Very large yellow. Open growing. TT119 - Mrs. Howard Phipps x Martha Phipps or Parker's Pink x Martha Phipps. Vigerous white. TT120 - Appricot Fantasy x Martha Phipps. Sister of TT117 & TT122. Large appricot hose-in-hose flower. TT121 - Anne Hardgrove x TT97. Large red flower TT122 - Appricot Fantasy x Martha Phipps. Yellow. Sister of TT117 & TT120. TT123 - TT104 x TT105 or Scintillation x Phipps 32. Large yellow. Original plant dead. One rooted cutting left. TT124 - Margolit x Phipps 32. Round truss, good yellow. Getting leggy TT125 - Hotei x Phipps 56. Bob Schill cross. Good yellow. TT126 - TT105 x TT104. = (Schlaijker yellow x Phipps 32) x (Mary Guthlein x Phipps 32). Good yellow TT129 - TT97 x Norman Gill. Sharp pink TT131 - TT97 x Norman Gill. Bright red. Much blast winter of 03-04, no foliage damage. TT132 - TT96 x (Vulcan x Jean Marie) Good red TT133 - Parker's Pink x Martha Phipps. Light pink, big truss. Bud blast & leaf burn winter of 03/04 TT134 - Bob Schill x Phipps 32. Jack Rosenthal cross. Good yellow. TT135 - Janet Blair x (Margolit x Woodbench). Cross 94-13. Peach/cream TT136 - Janet Blair x Phipps 94. yellow/pink TT137 - Mars x Jean Marie. Cross 78-22. Large red flower. Open growing. TT138 - TT94 x Phipps 85. Cross 91-48. Large red/pink TT139 - Parker's Pink x Martha Phipps. Good pink, beautiful plant. Petal bleight. TT140 - TT105 x TT104. Cross 91-59. Good yellow, one of the best yellows. Sister of TT182. TT141 - TT84 x Gold Medal. Good Yellow TT142 - Glow Light x Ring of Fire. Cross 92-19. Yellow with red picotee, orange effect. Missing top flower. TT143 - TT97 x Phipps 51. Cross 96-34. Perfect truss, pink, good foliage TT144 - Open pollenated seedling of 'Sappho' (at Nat Hess' house. Light pink with gold blotch. Round truss, holds leaves 3 years TT145 - (TT1 x DCL) x Phipps 32. DCL=dichroanthum x clorops x lacteum. yellow with red flower buds during winter. Very good plant. TT146 - (Appricot Fantasy x Phipps 32) x (Margolit x Woodbench). Yellow. TT147 - TT78 x Jean Marie. Cross 88-22. Informally called Dick's Big Red. I made cross and germanated the seed. Because of no room in my garden, I gave the seedlings to George Woodard to grow and he selected this one. After I took some cuttings a truck ran over the original plant and killed it. It roots easily. TT148 - Margolit x Marybelle. Good plant habit. Color midway between the two parents. TT149 - TT92 x Gate Cream. Pink/white. Compact plant, fragrant. Sister of TT150. TT150 - TT92 x Gate Cream. Sister of TT149. Pink, large flower. TT151 - Goldsworth Orange x Margolit. Jack Rosenthal cross. Peach color. Not doing well. TT152 - Sam Everitt x Martha Phipps. Pink/white, compact plant, large flowers, fragrant. TT153 - Parker's Pink x Norman Gill. Early hot pink TT154 - ((TT97 x (Mars x Elizabeth)) x (Whitney Red x Summatra). Low growing, red. Winter 02/03 some blast. TT155 - Parker's Pink x Norman Gill. Strong red, open growing. One of the best reds. TT157 - (Scintillation x Indiana) x Snow's Red. Jack Rosenthal cross. Bright Red. Open growing. Holds leaves 2 years. TT185 - Mars x Jean Marie. Full truss luminescent, sharp red. TT159 - TT96 x (Vulcan x Jean Marie). Large red flowers. Badly hit 03/04 winter. TT160 - TT96 x (Vulcan x Jean Marie). Good red TT162 - (Gertrude Saxe x Senor Melton) x Blue Ridge. George Woodard cross in 1999. Very floriferous. Blue, compact. Roots easily. TT163 - Phipps 27 x (Golden Star x Phipps 32). Cross 93-10. Fragrant yellow, no blast or winter damage. Best yellow??? TT165 - TT92 x Gate Cream. large flowers, medium yellow. Tt166 - Parker's Pink x Martha Phipps. Round truss, pink/yellow/light pink. TT167 - TT97 x Norman Gill. Hot pink, large truss. TT168 - Acclaim x Martha Phipps. Red/pink, compact plant, round truss. TT169 - Sam Everitt x Martha Phipps. Large pink/white. TT170 - TT97 x Norman Gill. Large red. Good plant habit. Narrow leaves. One of the best reds. TT171 - (Parker's Pink x Schlaijker Yellow) x Martha Phipps. Cross 91-39. Many flowers, perfect truss, pink/yellow TT172 - Hotie x Phipps 56. Bob Schill cross. Very yellow. No spots on leaves. Open growing. Holds leaves 1 year. TT174 - TT97 x Norman Gill. Perfect truss. Hot pink. TT175 - Jean Marie x Barbara Cooke. ARS seed exchange seed. Dense growing. Many pink flowers. Sister of TT181. TT176 - Gertrude Saxe open pollenated. Red/pink. No blast after bad winter. TT177 - Scimilllation x Sam Everitt. Cross 91-57. White, fragrant, 3" flower. TT178 - TT97 x Morman Gill. Scarlet red, Full truss TT179 - (Margolit x Martha Phipps) x Honeyglow. Light salmon TT180 - Martha Phipps x Sam Everitt. Large salmon truss. Open growing, no blast TT181 - Jean Marie x Barbara Cooke. ARS seed exchange. Hot pink, beautiful plant. Sister of TT175 TT182 - TT105 x TT104. Cross 91-59. Sister of TT140. Very large yellow flowers, little blast, no leaf damage. TT183 - Scintillation x Sam Everitt. Cross 91-57. Pink, formal truss, no blast good plant habit. TT184 - Scintillation x Sam Everitt. Cross 91-57. Light pink, full formal truss, good plant. TT185 - TT97 x Norman Gill. Perfect red color, orange tint. Low growing. One of the best reds. TT186 - Whitney Orange x (Dumper Yellow x Phipps 32) Jack Rosenthal cross. Orange/yellow, 2 1/2" flowers. Full truss. TT187 - TT105 x TT104. Yellow. Very large flowers. Very nice. One of the best yellows. TT188 - Cross 99-2 (Peter Faulk x Red Crown) x (Howard Kuhn x Annanouri) Seed parent is probably George Woodard's best red and pollen parent is semi dwarf red. The seedling is only 4 years old, so it is hard to talk about plant size, but it is certainly red. TT189 - Cross 91-40 Acclaim x Martha Phipps. Early bloomer (5/7/05) Pink/red, large flowers. Not a slow grower. TT190 - Cross 81-2 Schlaijker Yellow x Phipps 32. Has been in the garden 14 years and every year a nice early yellow (5/7/05). Very little bud blast after a bad winter. TT191 - Cross 91-40 Acclaim x Martha. Big, heavy pink truss. Bloomed on 5/11/05 TT192 - Cross 03-16 (Howard Kuhn x Annanouri) x [(TT96 x (Vulcan x Jean Marie)]. Almost black flowers. You either love it or hate it. Very small plant had 1 truss on 5/12/05. Has 5 buds for 2006. Looks like it will be a large plant. TT193 - Appricot Fantasy x Martha. Original plant dead from drought in 2005. Have a few rooted cuttings though. Very impressive flower. Bloomed 5/15/05. TT194 - Cross 90-25 Scintillation x Martha. White with red flare! No I don't know how that happened. TT195 - (Scintillation x 1000 Butterflies) x (Margolit x Martha) George Woodard cross 10/99. Large, many flowered truss. Pink with flare, perfect truss form. TT196 - Whitestone x Dexter's Spice. This is a very nice white. Large, tall truss. No blast after bad winter. Hose in hose. Bloomed 5/17/05. Fast grower. TT197 - Cross 96-30 Vulcan's Flame x Margolit. Orange/red. Plant not strong grower. TT198 - Unknown yellow. Full truss. No blast after bad winter. No leaf spot. Many trusses, medium sized flowers. TT199 - Whitestone x (Dumper Yellow x Phipps 32) Double yellow, bad habit. TT200 - Cross 80-41 Scintillation x Mars. An older plant in the garden. It looked particularly good this spring (2005). Good truss form. Blue red. Sorry! TT201 - Cross 94-13 Janet Blair x (Margolit x Woodbench). Full bloom on 6/5/05. Cream, no blast, good growth form. TT104 - Schlaijker Yellow x Phipps 32. Good yellow with a large flower. I used this in many crosses but now it is gone from the garden. See Named Hybrids for info about the parents. TT105 - Cross 81-4. 71-13 x Phipps 32. 71-13 = (Scintillation x Inamorata x Hardgrove yellow. Hardgrove Yellow = probably hardy fortunei x (dichroanthum x wardii). Not a bad yellow, but leggy. Original plant dead but I have a couple of rooted cuttings from it. TT202 - (Peter Faulk x Red Crown) x (Howard Kuhn x Annanouri) Sister of TT188. Tight red truss. Good color. 5/4/06 TT203 - {(Appricot x Phipps 32) x (Margolit x Woodbench)} x {(Appricot Fantasy x Bud's Yellow x Max Rose x Bob Bovee x Yak x lacteum)} Very good yellow. Large caylx, no blast. 5/4/06 TT204 - Senorita Cherie x Brola Pollen name in question. Very red, bad foliage, no blast. 5/8/06 TT205 - Scintillation x Sam Everitt Spectacula pink. Full truss. Covered with flowers, slightly fragrant. 5/15/06. EN TT206 - King of Shrubs x Veluptious Perfect truss, green-yellow - pink flower. Very different. 5/21/06 TT208 - Jean Marie x Wardance Seed from Dave Leach which he received from Australia. Good red 5/25/06 TT209 - Anne Hardgrove x TT97 Cross 91-62 Very large red truss. Foliage good. No buds for 2007. 5/29/06 TT210 - TT97 x Norman Gill Sister of TT131 but much larger flower. Low growing. 5/29/06 TT211 - {(Appricot Fantasy x Phipps 32) x (Margolit x Woodbench)} x Appricot Fantasy x Bud's Yellow x Max Roseum x Bob Bovee x yak x 32. Pollen from George Woodard. Very yellow/golden. Too young to see growth character. 5/29/06 TT212 - Helen Everitt x Phipps 128. Cross 88-83. White, perfect truss. Blooms same time as Cat Album. Large leaves, large plant. Quite hardy. 6/5/06