Joe Coleman     The Palette of Kurume Azaleas: Neglected Treasures
  Dave Hopkins   Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden: An Overview
  Judy Lowe       Native Plants for the Azalea Gardener
  Tijs Huisman     European Evergreen Hybrid Azaleas
  Don Shadow     New Plant Introductions From Japan


Dr. Joe Coleman has been associated with the ASA since 1979. At that time, the Brookside Gardens Chapter was the major source of inspiration. Joe has an active general practice in dentistry. With his wife Donna, he has worked for the past 22 years creating a garden of collections of azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese maples, hostas (if the deer leave them alone), ferns and numerous natives, particularly the beautiful native azaleas of Georgia.

Since the Kurume azalea is of especial interest to Joe, he made every effort to blend a full palette of awesome shades of the Kurumes in his garden. Joe is a member of the ARS, the ASA, the American Hosta Society, and the Georgia Native Plant Society. He has been active in speaking engagements for these societies as well as in plant propagation and seed and cutting collecting.


Dave Hopkins is a graduate of the University of Chattanooga with a BA in industrial management, has served on a number of organization boards, and is active with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Rotary. He is an active partner in the Hopkins Surveying Group, Inc. Dave has a long history with Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanic Garden, having served as a director from 1987 though 1990, as vice president and secretary from 1991 to 1993, and as president from 1993 to 1995. In June of 2001 he was distinguished by being named executive director. He is only the second official director in 45 years, and has been instrumental in propelling the arboretum into the 21st century. His vision for the arboretum is closely allied with their mission statement of providing an opportunity to the public to experience and protect a natural landscape through educational opportunities.

Dave's passion for native plants is well known in the community, and he has endeavored to protect, restore and expand native plantings within the arboretum. He supervises four paid staff members, including two in landscape maintenance and the horticulturist. Dave is a hands-on person, and may often be seen bush-hogging a meadow, wielding a weed wrench, or laying a new stone path.


Judy Lowe has been an active gardener most of her life, following in the footsteps of her green-thumbed mother. After majoring in English and minoring in horticulture in college, Judy turned her interest and expertise into a career of garden writing. She began in 1977 at what was then the Chattanooga News-Free Press. For more than 20 years, she wrote two or more gardening articles weekly (no vacations!), often featuring outstanding regional gardeners such as those specializing in azaleas.

During this time, Judy's writing also appeared in magazines like Woman's Day and Southern Living, and she contributed to several books: "The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists" and "Smith & Hawken Book of Outdoor Gardening" among them. She is also the author of "Ortho's All About Pruning" and "Tennessee Gardener's Guide," and has another book coming out shortly.

She has been the Southern gardening editor for a popular online website, columnist for "Tennessee Gardener" magazine, and done a weekly gardening segment on TV. She was an original member of Chattanooga's Tree Board and has served as president of the Garden Writers Association of America.

Judy has won numerous awards for her writing. The most recent was a Garden Globe Award for Achievement for an article titled "Flora Biblia," a look at what botanists and other experts think the plants mentioned in the Bible really are, such as the bitter herbs, and the lilies of the field.


Tijs Huisman is a Dutch gardener of many years and is really crazy about plants. He started with a rhododendron garden 20 years ago and also hybridizes. Tijs, pronounced Tice, did a lot of work with heathers and introduced four new varieties. With another rhodoholic, he founded the Dutch Chapter-ARS and was president for nine years. He has been a member of the ASA since 1993 and very active with azaleas.

After visiting the ARS convention at Long Island in 1992, Tijs imported many rhodos and evergreen azaleas. He has a seven acre garden with many of his own hybrids and is testing hundreds more. Last spring, 2002, his first introduction of a new rhodo hybrid, 'Helen Martin', received a so-called "Certification" at a Rhodoshow in Germany and he has many fine plants coming.

Tijs has written articles for numerous publications: The Azalean, Journal-ARS, and publications of the German and Dutch Heather Society and in a new Dutch magazine "De Tuin Exclusive". His current writing work is a cooperative work with Mr. Shen of San Francisco CA, with a short essay about evergreen azaleas in Europe, for a new encyclopedia of azaleas in Chinese and English; with many of his slide photos included. He has also presented a number of programs in the U. S. in the last ten years.

Though not officially trained in horticulture, Tijs' reading and practical experience with azaleas, rhododendrons and gardening is obviously expressed and presented at his website with twenty full pages. He says he always keeps his eyes open with a love of plants. He is a professional teacher of German in high schools.


Don Shadow graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BS in Horticulture. He is the past-president of the Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagator?s society, past-president of the Southern Nursery Association, past-president of the Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, and a former member of the American Nursery & Landscape Association Board of Governors. He served three terms on the Advisory Council of the United States National Arboretum, and nine years on the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee.

Don was the recipient of the David E. Laird, Sr. Memorial Award in 1975, the Slater Wright Memorial Award presented by the Southern Nursery Association for outstanding service to the industry, the Garden Club of America?s Medal of Honor for outstanding contribution to Horticulture in 1989, the Individual Commercial Award presented by the American Horticulture Society in 1993, and the Silver Seal Award of the American Federation of Garden Clubs in 1994. He is the owner and operator of Shadow Nursery, Inc. in Winchester, Tennessee.