Rhododendron and
Azalea News

Ideas for Chapters

What life is all about...

It was then that Karel Bernady, God bless his heart, came to the rescue - and presented a beautiful program none of us had ever seen before which focused on his travels through the Potomac Valley, along the Appalachian Trail and down into the Great Smokies along with other ARS members locating and photographing magnificent swarms of native azaleas and rhododendrons. Karel - thank you!

Julie Andrews...everyone’s favorite...does it again!

To commemorate her birthday, Julie Andrews, actress/vocalist, made a special appearance at Manhattan's & Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the American Association of Retired People (AARP).

One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie, 'Sound of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used. (If you sing it out loud, it is especially hilarious!)

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, when the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating [ads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinning',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

(Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that last over four minutes and repeated encores. She has been a love and may we take encouragement from her happy life. And a special word of thanks, Julie, for making the world laugh.)

Beautiful word...volunteer...

And, it does something else, too! It beautifies the world. Encourage your chapter members to become involve. Many of the chapters newsletters give a brief summary of the volunteer projects...and it includes a free lunch!

It has been a proven fact...people will volunteer:

• when they know the specifics,
• when they are given a vision to use their personal talents,
• when they can financially contribute to a project,
• when they might work on a project from home,
• when they can join a team and make it a "fun" project,

People want to belong and feel needed!

Plan for next's year garden show

With fall here and winter coming...including Christmas...start to plan now for next year's garden shows. Encourage your members...and their friends...the garden shows are the very best place to get plants for gardens! Just imagine select and very choice plants are available.

Have fun planning and long-range planning is the very best!

Book surfing by Lurrt Nieuwenhuis

Luurt is a member of the Portland Chapter and brings the most interesting challenges to the chapter. He wants to challenge you, too.

There was a picture at the end of the Portland Chapter’s newsletter for August, along with a question of whether anyone recognized where it came from. I didn't expect to receive any responses to the question...and I was not disappointed. After all, "Of the making of books there is no end..." (Ecclesiastes).

There are some delightful treasures to be found by the persistent surfing the web...J. D. Hooker's Himalayan Journals, a book that contains 150 references to rhododendrons.

Hooker was, as you might be aware, one of the great early plant hunters. Now you can read his journal at your convenience in your own home.

I was particularly captivated in comparing Hooker's views of India with that found in another book that I downloaded, Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling paints a picture of the people and cultural life of India...but ignores the plants and geology. Hooker ignores the people and describes the geology, weather, and especially the plants at every turn. One is an ethnologist...the other a naturalist.

Books are available on the Gutenberg website...a massive repository for free, downloadable books. When you download, look for the html versions (or the zipped file thereof) whenever possible because often the book's illustrations will be included.

The web site address is: http://www.gutenberg.net. Search for a particular book or scan the entire listing. There is even an Australian site of Gutenberg that has different files, such as the 1930 edition of West Australian Orchids.

Luurt says...Happy surfing and reading!

Wow! Wow! Luurt, what a wealth of information you have given. This web site is a god-sent for many and most probably didn't even know it was out there. Wonders of wonders! Thanks for writing that article for the Portland Chapter's newsletter.

Do you know meaning of Allelopathy?

Bruce Palmer of the Eureka Chapter is one of ARS's word experts. He loves to share his knowledge and relate unusual words to rhododendrons!

This month's word is "allelopathy". The dollar-a-pound word is not related to rhododendrons directly...but is pertinent in case you are thinking about planting a rhodie under a Eucalyptus tree!

Allelopathy stems from the Greek allele for another or one another and pathos for causing harm. Roughly translated it might be read as poisoning your relatives. In genetics an allele is one of a pair of genes controlling a characteristic, flower shape, for example.

Quite a few plants, especially trees, secree harmful chemicals that ward off pests or reduce competition in the area immediately surrounding themselves. This is called: Allelopathy.

In the case of Eucalyptus, the leaves and seed pods contain resins that, when dropped to the ground, inhibit the growth of new plants, including other eucalyptus. That's why we don't see other plants growing successfully under Eucalyptus trees.

There are lots of other examples of the process. It comes about because plants don't have kidneys or livers to rid of toxic by-products from metabolism. Among trees it is common for them to store toxins in the dead inner cells in their trunks, the dead outer cells of the bark, or in the leaves or seed pods. When the leaves, outer bark, or seed pods are dropped the poisons go with them. Often these metabolic by-products are not toxic to us...but are very aromatic. Thus, we have bay leaves, cinnamon bark, and cloves. If the by-products are stored in the inner cells in the trunk they don't poison the tree...but may yield great smells as with camphor wood or fantastic colors beloved by woodworks from trees such as mahogany. So, don't plant your rhodie under that Eucalyptus this years...but the next time you cook or admire a piece of furniture...be grateful that trees don't have kidneys.

Care...care...care

Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens
reflect the kind of care they get.

The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence.
It is the greenest where nurtured and cared for,
what are you doing...or not doing...to have it that way?

- Wedding Ceremony Sermon