CONFERENCEZiņa
The rhododendron named after patron Roberts Rūsis.
In 2024, a new variety of rhododendrons was named after Roberts Rūsis, a patron of the University of Latvia (LU) – ‘Lettonia’s Roberts Rūsis’. This rhododendron stands out with its dark green, glossy leaves, and dark purple flowers, whose petals are adorned with yellow-green speckling.
Thanks to a $50,000 donation from the benefactor and his wife, Dagnija Rūse, scholarships are awarded annually to aspiring nurses. A rhododendron variety is also named after Dagnija Rūse – in 2021, a new variety with purple flowers, frilled petal edges, and dark blotches was named ‘Dagnija’.
“Although such an event is certainly unexpected, the news truly makes me happy. It is wonderful that something like this has happened because both Roberts Rūsis and I have always been connected to gardens. Throughout our lives and wherever we have traveled, we have spent a lot of time working in gardens. My love for nature comes from my grandmother, who taught me about gardens and plants when I was just four years old,” says Dagnija Rūse in a phone conversation.
Gunita Riekstiņa, the breeder of both varieties and a researcher at the “Babīte” Rhododendron Breeding and Experimental Nursery of the University of Latvia, explains that developing a new variety requires time and patience, taking approximately 15 years. After crossing two rhododendrons during flowering, the seeds obtained in autumn are sown the following spring. It can take up to eight years for the seedlings to reach flowering. An additional several years are needed for final evaluation before the plant is officially recognized as a variety and given a name.
Every year, the latest rhododendron varieties are registered in the International Rhododendron Register in Great Britain. In 2024, seven new rhododendron varieties were registered.
Since 2012, several varieties have been named at the initiative of the LU Foundation, honoring benefactors and distinguished personalities. In total, five ornamental plants in the “Babīte” rhododendron nursery bear the names of LU Foundation patrons.
The first registered variety was ‘Vilhelmīne Petkevičs’, one of the most beautiful varieties created by Professor Rihards Kondratovičs. This rhododendron, with its soft pink flowers, is one of the rare evergreen varieties that can be grown in open, sunny locations. It was named in honor of LU patron Minna Matilde Vilhelmīne Petkevičs on her 150th anniversary.
In celebration of the 170th birthday of Kristaps Morbergs, the most generous LU patron of all time, the variety ‘Kristaps Morbergs’ was registered in 2014. This rhododendron delights with purple flowers during its blooming period.
In 2015, in gratitude for their generous support of science, culture, and the arts, as well as the LU Botanical Garden, a shrub with large purple-pink flowers was named after Ināra and Boriss Teterevs ‘Teterevi Latvijai’.
Over 45 years, 153 rhododendron varieties have been developed at the nursery. Every year during the blooming season—in May and June—visitors to the “Babīte” Rhododendron Breeding and Experimental Nursery of the University of Latvia can admire a remarkable collection of outdoor rhododendrons.
