Legacy Project Page


McDonald Azaleas


‘Venus' Baby’
Azalea ‘Venus' Baby’, Photo by Paul James

Legacy Lead: Rick Bauer ⇐ Click to send Rick an email

Hybridizer: Sandra McDonald
Sandra McDonald, PhD, is a resident of Hampton, Virginia. Originally from Kansas City, KS, Sandra received her BS from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, followed by an MS in Horticulture and PhD in Plant Genetics from the University of Connecticut. She moved to Virginia in 1974 after marrying Ken McDonald. She began hybridizing in the mid 70's while working at Ken's family's business, Le-Mac Nursery in Hampton. Her hybridizing goals were to make a more hardy florist variety of azaleas, to produce more compact plants, to fill in the color gap in existing azaleas and to expand the bloom season. To date, she has produced over forty named varieties.


Sandra McDonald with Sandra's Harlequin
Photo by William Bedwell

Project Presentation: ⇐ Click to view

Project Attachments:

TitleAuthor
1988 ARS Silver Medal Award
2006 ARS Gold Medal Award
Azalea Hybrids of Sandra McDonald Sandra McDonald