RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS IN NEW JERSEY: IT'S EASIER THAN YOU THINK
Wednesday, June 6th. 7:30 PM
Hank Schannen slide presentation:
“Rhododendrons and Azaleas in New Jersey: It's Easier Than You Think"
Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands Annual Meeting
Henry (Hank) Schannen, of the RareFind Nursery will present a lecture and slide show entitled “Rhododendrons and Azaleas in New Jersey: It's Easier Than You Think”, at the Annual Meeting of the Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands, June 6th, 7:30 pm. The event will be held at Mapleton Preserve/D & R Canal State Park, 145 Mapleton Rd., in Kingston. It is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 609-514-2416 or www.fpnl.org
The speaker for this program, Hank Schannen, is a plantsman extraordinaire and the owner of the RareFind Nursery, located in Jackson, NJ. Mr. Schannen is a walking rhododendron encyclopedia – his expertise in this area is reflected by the fact that RareFind offers over 200 varieties of rhododendrons and 130 varieties of deciduous and evergreen azaleas. Judging from the photos in his nursery’s on-line catalog (http://www.rarefindnursery.com) the slides he will show should be visually stunning, as he shares with us the beauty of this genus. He will also provide handouts and information on planting and growing rhododendrons and azaleas, and provide copies of his nursery catalog.
BACKGROUND:
Hank Schannen is an avid rhododendron collector and hybridizer. His interest in rhododendrons and azaleas is very long standing. He joined American Rhododendron Society (ARS) in 1966, and has served on the ARS national board and as the president of the Princeton Chapter of this prestigious society. Hank currently serves as Chairman of the ARS Research Foundation, and is a Board member of the Rhododendron Species Foundation. He has personally introduced 10 new rhododendron hybrids and was a 1997 recipient of the Gold Medal of the American Rhododendron Society. He has a BS from Rider University and an MBA from Rutgers University. Interestingly, in his former life (BR-Before Rarefind), Hank Schannen was a marketing specialist and co-founded and served as President of the multi-million dollar market research firm Hase-Schannen Research Associates, in Princeton, NJ. Hank is a frequent and entertaining lecturer on the subject of rhododendrons, and also . collects Japanese maples, hollies and magnolias.
He is the proprietor of RareFind Nursery, which is located at the northwestern tip of the famous New Jersey Pine Barrens. The nursery, which is open to the public Wednesdays through Saturdays, is centered around a four-acre rhododendron display garden in a natural wooded setting. The garden is home to a large and diverse collection of shrubs and contains many thousands of rhododendron seedlings from their own hybridizing efforts. The nursery offers over 2500 types of unusual hardy plants, including over 200 varieties of rhododendrons, and 130 types of azaleas. Their offerings also include native perennials, trees, shrubs, dogwoods, magnolias, conifers, Japanese maples, variegated plants, shade plants and deer-resistant plants.
Mapleton Preserve/D & R Canal State Park , 145 Mapleton Rd., Kingston
Free. Open to Public.
Further information: 609-514-2416.
