The last I heard was a couple of thousand. Al

There is always "Kitchen Culture". Anderson's Rhododendron Media and hormones are easily available as are pressure cookers and baby food jars. A microwave can be used in place of a pressure cooker.

Hi Filbert, I was curious if you tried to do a tissue culture or if you sent the material off to a lab. If so were you successful?

You may be better off contact a university or a nursery with a good plant /trail intro program. Just because you have something you think is special doesn't mean much...others have to concur, and be willing to convince others. I know a plantsman who claims that for every hundred cultivars named and released, perhaps one is truly worth it (Tony Avent, Plants Delight Nursery (okay, he's talking about hosta, but the point holds...in a genus already overpopulated with cultivars, do you think you have something, or will others?)).

Yes, it means giving up some of the rights, but if they do take on the plant, it also means all the responsibilities (promotion, royalties, etc) aren't yours either. Roy Bracken, who released Bracken's Brown Beauty Magnolia, has stated that in order for a release to be successful, it has to be supported by a marketing campaign. I believe he said that to market his magnolia, he spent 20 to 30 K a year.

Do local nurserymen/gardeners drool over the plant? If so, that's a good start. Does U of VA or VA Tech have a hort program? What do the professors there have to say?

I found this website

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen culture kits

Another consideration is that if you have a modicum of laboratory education or experience, most important seems be sterile techniques, then tissue culture can be fun.