
































EXBURY 
A 22-Year-Old Love Affair 
By S. B. Hutton, Jr. 
President of Star Roses 
Shortly after World War II, in the late 40’s, I first became 
acquainted with the Ghent and Mollis type Azaleas as grafted imported 
plants from Holland. I was struck by their vivid colors and continued 
to try to grow them in spite of many difficulties, including the simple 
fact that they just plain didn’t seem to want to grow here. 
I cannot recall exactly where I saw my first Exbury Hybrid Azaleas 
but it was in 1950 or 1951, shortly after becoming disillusioned with the 
Ghent and Mollis types. And I was so taken with their colorful beauty 
and large flowers that our nursery acquired some plants. Again, more 
problems developed—though the plants themselves grew well, we were 
unable to develop the technique of propagating them. My persistence 
was stronger than my wisdom, for I continued to fool around with 
them for years and years. 
My interest was so strong that in 1953 I purchased some seed from 
England. The seedlings flourished and in 1956 began to bloom. Of 
course, being from seéd, they were all colors of the rainbow and varied 
widely in their quality. Of the several hundred, we selected 48 as 
having special merit. Of the 48, we have just one left, and that is the 
luscious Golden Peace we offer to you here. 
Meanwhile, we continued to collect other kinds from everywhere we 
could find them. We grew them, tested them and continued to try to 
propagate them but without success. In 1964 Richard Vanderbilt joined 
us and soon developed a fondness for these hybrid Azaleas equal to my 
own. Fortunately, his affection was reinforced with a knowledge of the 
propagation technique necessary to reproduce these difficult wayward 
plants, and as a result we can now offer them to our customers. 
GOLDEN PEACE 
TUNIS. Blooms are a _ bright cardinal-red 
(deeper than shown in the illustration), chang- 
ing gradually to carmine and with a lovely 
added touch of a golden flare on the upper 
petal. Like all four of these Exburys, trusses are 
large but florets are arranged more loosely than 
on Golden Peace. Tunis blooms later, following 
Royal Lodge, and grows somewhat taller. 
GOLDEN PEACE. Here is an exciting new 
bright yellow to add to the spectrum of vivid 
colors in the Exbury Azaleas. Freely branched, 
vigorous plants producing a_ profusion of 
tremendous balloon-like trusses 6 inches and 
more across give a mass of color in mid-May. 
Each large truss consists of as many as 13 indi- 
vidual florets up to 3 inches across, making a 
solid ball of beauty. Gracefully frilled, bright 
yellow petals of even color brightened by a rich 
golden blotch to accent the upper petal. The ul- 
timate is an aura of sweet, spicy fragrance to 
thrill the nose as the color does the eye. The 
color stays unchanged until the end. As the 
bloom matures, bright green foliage comes out 
to clothe the vigorous, strong stems. 
GOLDEN PEACE is most showy as a speci- 
men plant. The bright green foliage adds a spot 
of warmth through the summer. In fall, the 
leaves turn red-bronze shades before dropping, 
and the stiff woody branches give contrast and 
texture to a stark winter landscape. GOLDEN 
PEACE is indeed one of the new car-stopping 
colors, lending brilliance and interest to any 
planting. Considering that GOLDEN PEACE is 
of my own selection, I have to admit to a bit of 
favoritism, but I know you will like it. Plant 
Pat. App. For. 
50 
