Greenhouse is filling up. Come see these plants 6 inches taller as our summer intern! The last one here under internships: holdenfg.org/career-and-i...

Many people found the Leach hybrids hard to grow, despite being supremely cold hardy and ornamental. When Dr. Stephen Krebs took over the program in the late 90s, he emphasized adaptive traits beyond cold hardiness, most notably resistance to root rot disease caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Over the last couple years our program introduced 6 rhododendron hybrids to the nursery trade. Under Dr. David Leach's direction, the program introduced a multitude of fancy rhododendrons hardy to zone 5.

You may know Capistrano, Hong Kong, Janet Blair, Crete, Anna H. Hall, Rangoon, Party Pink, etc

Cutting propagations tend to be out of sync with typical phenology. Here's Rhododendron ripense, a Japanese species we're interested in for neutral-high pH tolerance.

Our two light carts currently represent over a year's worth of hand pollinations and wild seed collections. Rhododendrons and azaleas (and all Ericaceae? - there's Agarista and Kalmia there too) are frustratingly tiny for months. Flowers in 2-5 years. #seeds #propagation #horticulture #botanicgarden

Conservation work focuses on living collection development the North American native azaleas, most recently for Rhododendron flammeum and Rhododendron prunifolium.

Breeding projects focus on broader adaptability in the large leaf rhododendrons through resistance to root rot disease caused by Phytophthora spp. as well as other adaptive traits.

Hi... I'm Connor. My team breeds and conserves rhododendrons and azaleas capable of surviving our climate in Northeast Ohio.

Rhododendron kaempferi 'Dorsett', collected wild in Japan in 1930. Blooms in spring and fall. Named after PH Dorsett, a plant collector for USDA.