For the Love of Rhododendron

ARS NextGen
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For the Love of Rhododendron

Have you ever loved someone so much that you followed them around and talked endlessly about them to all your friends and family? That’s how much we love Rhododendron, a quirky and amazing genus of flowering plants that has a deep human history and an incredible ecological legacy. Follow along on our adventures as we learn about the remarkable things that folks all around the world have done, For the Love of Rhododendron. This podcast is a production of The American Rhododendron Society Next Generation Program. Learn more at www.rhododendron.org

  1. Faith in a seed

    03/05/2023

    Faith in a seed

    In this episode we meet Emily Ellingson, Plant Collections Curator at Polly Hill Arboretum. We learn how Emily’s own career was inspired by Arboretum founder Polly Hill, who held a strong faith in seeds and became an early adopter of electronic plant records. Emily shares the story of Polly’s Rhododendron and Azalea hybrids, and highlights the important work taking place now in conservation horticulture, including an excellent internship program, presenting the next generation an opportunity to grow and try out different things, carrying on Polly’s legacy, as expressed by Henry David Thoreau: “Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.”

    59 min

  2. 15/02/2023

    From distraction to discovery

    In this episode we meet Dr. Mary Jane Epps, a scientist at the Center for Urban Habitats in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Epps tells us how a moment of distraction while researching beetles led her to discover that flame azalea, a.k.a. Rhododendron calendulaceum, is pollinated by the wings of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. We learn that this extremely rare type of pollination works because the flower shape offers the butterflies a clear landing platform, but that high diversity in Rhododendron flower shapes results in diverse rhododendron pollinator communities, and that there is an urgent need for us humans to support these pollinator communities: by making small changes in how we manage our home gardens, and by taking the time to get distracted, even by places as plain and humble as powerline cuts, we too can contribute to the conservation of pollinator biodiversity. As observed by polymath and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” Read the original publication showing butterfly wing pollination of flame azalea: Epps MJ, SE Allison and LM Wolfe (2015) Reproduction in Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum, Ericaceae): A Rare Case of Insect Wing Pollination. American Naturalist 186: 294-301. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26655157/

    1 h y 14 min

  3. 02/11/2022

    A postcard is a small thing

    In this episode we meet Dr. Anna Asatryan, a Senior Researcher at the National Academy of Sciences in Armenia focused on the documentation and conservation of Armenia’s rich native flora, including Rhododendron caucasicum. We learn how Dr. Asatryan became involved in the eco-tourism industry and fell in love with Rhododendron as she conducted her primary work documenting the Important Plant Areas of Armenia. Her efforts to fill the data gap on Rhododendron have inspired residents of Armenia’s small and cozy mountain villages to see their native species with different eyes, and we discover that something as un-assuming as sharing an illustrated postcard has the power to stimulate daily acts of conservation, reminding us that we are all one organism, one ecosystem. Following the wise words of Mother Teresa, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

    1 h y 1 min

  4. 02/10/2022

    Yogurt for your plants

    In this episode we meet Dr. Jean Burns and PhD candidate Yu Liu to learn about their research program focused on the science of gardening, they describe their recent findings on the important role of microbes that live in, on and around Rhododendron in determining plant growth and survival, they assure us that some microbes can actually be good for Rhododendrons, and we find out how the pure aesthetic joy of Rhododendron can lead to a deeper understanding of the basic biological process of plant-soil interactions that lead to species co-existence. Now, that’s not so farfetched as it might seem, for as he sat alone in a garden, Isaac Newton in 1666, age 24, fell into a speculation on the power of gravity.

    57 min

  5. 01/09/2022

    A bit of paradise

    In this episode we meet Tom Clarke, Head Gardener at the world-renowned Exbury Gardens, we learn how Exbury founder, the late Lionel de Rothschild, turned to gardening amidst personal disappointments, cultivating his own bit of paradise where Rhododendrons are interwoven with the natural landscape to create an exotic floral tapestry. Tom shares how the Crown Jewels of the Exbury Rhododendron collections were forged through plant exploration, hybridization, and good old fashion business sense, and how the focus today is on meeting the challenges of climate change and providing public access to one of the most spectacular green spaces in the UK, reflecting the words of Ladybird Johnson, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope”. Visit Exbury Gardens https://www.exbury.co.uk/

    52 min

  6. 02/06/2022

    As soon as the sunrays hit

    In this episode Juliana and Ryan meet Dr. Shweta Basnett, who shares stories from her PhD work on the pollination biology of Rhododendron in Sikkim Himalaya. We learn how she left her bed well-before dawn to trek up a mountainside and survey many different Rhododendron species and their pollinators, including sunbirds who start drinking the nectar as soon as the sunrays hit the ground, and how the difficult task of climbing a mountain day after day led to stunning views and a chance to expand from local to global Rhododendron studies as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland. Thus, illustrating the words of author William Arthur Ward, “Opportunities are like sunrises, if you wait too long, you’ll miss them.”

    1 h y 5 min

  7. 07/04/2022

    We named the trees

    In this episode Christina and Connor tell the story of Leslie Hancock, a pioneer in Canadian Rhododendron breeding and horticulture and founder of the Hancock Woodlands in Mississauga, Ontario Canada. We hear from Woodlands Horticulturalist Stacey Sylvestri about how the next generation is carrying on Hancock’s botanical legacy and commitment to community outreach. We also meet Hancock’s grand-daughter Carol, who shares memories of her childhood growing up in a plant nursery, where life was just a bit different. The towering oaks and pines, and multi-colored Rhododendrons of the Woodland Nursery provided plenty of material for a child's imagination, and the garden developed such a personality of its own that they even named the trees, including four iconic pine trees that still stand today as the hallmark of Hancock Woodlands, embodying the words of John Muir, “Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.”

    1 h y 7 min

  8. 03/03/2022

    Expect blooms anytime

    In this episode we meet Don Graham, a retired emergency medicine doctor, a long-time member of the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, and a Rhododendron gardener extra-ordinaire. We find out how he successfully transitioned his love of Rhododendron from a large-scale outdoor rock garden to a small-but-mighty indoor garden prominently featuring tropical epiphytic Rhododendron species known as Vireyas. Don shares techniques he’s used to transform his second-floor condominium and balcony into a botanical wonderland so spectacular that passersby are known to shout their praise up from below, and we learn that the best thing about growing a Vireya garden in your house is that you can expect blooms anytime. Recalling the words of biographer and historian Jenny Uglow, “We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us.”

    1 h
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Have you ever loved someone so much that you followed them around and talked endlessly about them to all your friends and family? That’s how much we love Rhododendron, a quirky and amazing genus of flowering plants that has a deep human history and an incredible ecological legacy. Follow along on our adventures as we learn about the remarkable things that folks all around the world have done, For the Love of Rhododendron. This podcast is a production of The American Rhododendron Society Next Generation Program. Learn more at www.rhododendron.org

Información

  • Creador
    ARS NextGen
  • Años de actividad
    2021 - 2023
  • Episodios
    17
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © ARS NextGen
  • Mostrar sitio web
    For the Love of Rhododendron

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