QBARS - v23n1 Our Front Cover

Our Front Cover

This picture, made by Cecil Smith, is of the Rhododendron, 'Mrs. Tom H. Lowinsky'. We probably hear it called more frequently, 'Mrs. T. H. Lowinsky' or just 'Mrs. Lowinsky'. This variety is listed in the International Register as R. griffithianum X 'White Pearl' and is attributed to A. Waterer - Lowinsky. This means, I presume, that the cross was made by A. Waterer and named by Mr. T. Lowinsky of Tittenhurst in Berkshire, Great Britain. It received an A.M. from the R. H. S. in 1919.

This variety is a vigorous grower with dark green, shiny leaves; usually somewhat convex. It blossoms heavily quite late in the season, and the flowers are somewhat orchid color when they open and change to white with a golden brown blotch. For some reason this variety was not introduced into the United States as early as many other of the Waterer varieties. This writer brought in two plants about 1947 and had presumed that all of the plants of 'Mrs. Lowinsky' in this country had come from these two plants. More recently there are indications that the variety had been imported previous to that time although by whom and what date I am not sure. At any rate it is now pretty well distributed and is giving a good account of itself in the Northwest and in the South. Just how low a temperature it will withstand is not yet proven, but it does certainly have a considerable degree of hardiness and was rated to -10 in "Rhododendron Information'".

Its quality rating was given as 3/4. In a recent R. H. S. Yearbook, several English nurseries had been asked to indicate their most popular rhododendron varieties. The Knap Hill Nursery listed 'Mrs. Lowinsky' as their best commercial variety.

The International Register lists this variety as a group although I have some question as to the accuracy of this. I have never seen or heard of any variation in the variety to indicate that it is not a clone. The origin, involving a seedling raised by one person and introduction by another, would rather indicate that it probably is a clone. Certainly the ones in this country, so far as is known at present, are all of one clone. - Ed.