Rhododendrons 2016

[johnw]

I have no idea Jens. I assume it came from Bodnant a long time ago so the chances of baileyi being about is high. Davidian calls it cremastum and an AM given to BR when shown by WGP in 1972.  He says from 3355m; Forrest collected it in 1917  NW Yunnan  and KW collected it in 1931 in NE Burma. Also known as cremastum v. rubrum, to 2m high! So hard to tell if BR's origin is cw or seed-grown from a cw later at Bodnant.


R. baileyi makes perfect sense.
 


john

[Hoy]

Regardless of its origin Bodnant Red is a plant with very nice flowers. It was a surprise that it flowered now.

[johnw]

Maggi seems justb a tad tempted by seed of the dwarf deciduous Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Cheju', now correctly called R. mucronulatum v. taquettii.  I will send seed to the Seedex, while it is open-pollinated a good percentage will come true, the rest will be mucronulatum of various colours and sizes.  'Cheju'-like dwarves can be easily be id'ed and pricked out at 8-12 weeks.

It self-sows all round the garden here - in troughs, peat blocks, edges of beds and even in railroad tie cracks.  The autumn colour is breath-taking.  It should be placed in the rock garden where the disproprtionately thick golden trunk can be appreciated.

Lesley can attest to this dwarf's beauty. 

Here a trough volunteer.

johnw

[Gabriela]

Indeed what a great fall colour! I should make a note for the seedex...

[johnw]

I thought so and Jens Birck agrees, I have a flower bud on R. proteoides.  It's the first bud since a 2-3 year old seedling flowered in 2008 to Mme. Young's utter disbelief.


johnw  12c in a gale at the moment.

[Maggi Young]

If it's taken so long to flower again, it seems I wasn't the only one in shock!! 
Next year dozens of flowers, eh??

[johnw]

A different plant, this one is 25+ years old, I hold no hope of buds for another 25.


john

[johnw]

The extraordinary exfoliating bark of Rhododendron nuttallii, this one could be a hybrid but I suspect it's pure nuttallii.


johnw