Vireyas and the Creation of White Cloud Nursery, Hawaii

The De Anza Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is over thirty years old and is one of five Chapters of the American Rhododendron Society in California. http://www.deanza-ars.com We normally meet the third Wednesday of the month, October through June, in Los Altos, but due to COVAD 19 are not currently having meetings. The De Anza Chapter invites you to attend a Zoom meeting of the Portland Chapter, one of the original Chapters of the American Rhododendron Society. The program is titled Vireyas and the Creation of White Cloud Nursery, Hawaii, and will be on Thursday, January 21, 2021. The meeting opens at 6:30 PM, and the program starts at 7 PM The program can be accessed at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88280941569 Meeting ID: 882 8094 1569 One tap mobile +12532158782,,88280941569# When he lived on the island of Hawaii, before moving back to the mainland, Peter Adams established White Cloud Nursery which ended up with over 400 Vireya Series rhododendron species and hybrids. During the program Peter Adams will share images of some of his favorite vireyas along with a timeline of the development of the nursery and the construction of Adams’ unique home and 3000 square foot greenhouse there. For further information please go to the web page of the Portland Chapter at https://www.rhodies.org . In San Francisco vireyas can be seen at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, the Conservatory, and at the vireya garden at St. John the Evangelist Church, 65 St. Marys Avenue, San Francisco which was established by Peter Sullivan. The vireya garden created by Peter Sullivan may be the oldest vireya garden in the United States and survived all of the Arctic Expresses. http://www.vireya.net/archive/VV/VV75-0505.pdf In the East Bay vireyas can be seen at the Gardens at Lake Merritt and at the University of California Botanical Garden. Information on vireyas can be found at: http://www.vireya.net https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v32n1/v32n1-leach.htm Vireyas, since they come mainly from the tropics, have no set blooming period and quite a few vireyas bloom several times during the year. Vireyas grow superbly in the Bay Area, but the vireya authority Christi Hartsell, who has well over two hundred vireyas in his Palo Alto garden recommends that they be grown in containers in case that we have another Arctic Express the vireyas can be moved to a safe area. http://eurekarhody.org/newsletters/2017/2017%20Eureka%20Chapter%20Newsletter%20-%20January.pdf A good planting mix for vireyas and other rhododendrons is one third compost, one third bark, and one third lava rock. This formula has good drainage. This is the formula that was devised at Farwell’s Nursery. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v45n2/v45n2-smith.htm Information on vireya culture: http://www.vireya.net/cultivation.htm http://www.pacificislandnursery.com/page33.html http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v46n1/v46n1-moynier.htm Vireyas can be grown indoors during cold months. https://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/tropical-rhodies There are two places where vireyas can be purchased via the internet: Pacific Island Nursery http://www.pacificislandnursery.com/ Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden https://rhodygarden.org If you are interested in joining the De Anza Chapter, please go to https://www.rhododendron.org/membership.htm Information on the American Rhododendron Society can be found at https://www.rhododendron.org