Program
Programming will run from Thursday, June 5, 2025 to Sunday, June 8, 2025. TBA
Pre- and Post-Tour information will be announced soon.
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Dr Hartwig Schepker, a trained gardener, horticultural engineer and doctor of plant ecology, has managed the Rhododendron Park and Botanical Garden in Bremen for almost 20 years. On 46 hectares he is curating a huge collection of rhododendron species (approx. 650) and cultivars (>3,500). Hartwig is also director of the German Rhododendron Society.
Numerous trips have taken him to the natural habitats of rhododendrons in North America, Europe and Asia as well as to the most important rhododendron gardens in the western world. These experiences with rhododendrons in nature and culture are incorporated into lectures and articles, all of which show that no other group of woody plants is as fascinating as the rhododendrons. One of his biggest promotional tasks at present is to show that the genus is diverse enough to cope with the challenges posed by extreme climatic conditions. |
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Connor Ryan is the Rhododendron Collections Manager for Holden Forests and Gardens in Northeast Ohio. At Holden, Connor and his team steward the David G. Leach rhododendron legacy by caring for his namesake research station, developing its rhododendron collection, and breeding rhododendrons and other landscape plants. Now 27 years post-Leach, the station has taken on a wild species conservation role in addition to continuing a longstanding rhododendron hybridizing project.
Recent collection development has focused on North American native rhododendrons and azaleas, such as R. flammeum, R. prunifolium, and R. pilosum, while breeding efforts emphasize broader adaptability in elepidote rhododendrons and novel traits in USDA Zone 5 hardy azaleas. Connor has worked for Holden Forests and Gardens for about 6 years following schooling at Auburn University and University of Georgia. |
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Joe Bruso is a rhododendron hybridizer, propagator and grower, specializing in native & exotic species, plus unique and unusual hybrids, mostly of his own creation. Hybridizing goals include attractive foliage features (shape, texture, color, size and retention), as well as flower color (Reds, peaches).
Joe maintains a 4+ acre woodland display garden in Hopkinton, MA. President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society and member of the Executive Committee of the Rhododendron Species Foundation. |