Rhododendron... every garden should have some

[johnw]

Susan  - You have to watch those rhododendron people.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

Not only that Susan .... bear in mind that I waited nearly thirty years for flowers on MY   
 R. auriculatum!     If it is a windy site or exposed to frost, the foliage will get shredded because  it starts so late in the year and the young leaves are very thin when our frosts start.

[Lesley Cox]

aahhhhh - so those helpful websites that told me it would get to 2m in 10 years - were technically telling the truth, they just omitted to say that after 10 years it would carry on getting bigger.  Sneaky 

The same applies to sellers of dwarf conifers. It may well grow to 60cms in 10 years but life goes on and after 20 years, it could be 5 metres! You don't want to throw it out - or cut it down - after so long but because of where you planted it in the first place, it's about to take the roof off the house!

[Diane Whitehead]

OK  -  evergreen, not too tall, scented, pure white.

I have several bullatums, which are now included with edgeworthii.

Wonderful perfume, beautiful flowers, though mine are
all flushed pink.  You can probably get pure white ones.  Also, you
will have to choose a compact form - one of mine throws out branches
waaaaay over there (which I have pegged down to layer).

[johnw]

In flower yet again, vireya Rhododendron Tropic Glow x saxifragoides.  The flowers last for months.

Bracing for a 25-35cm snowfall overnight...

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

A friend in the city of Timaru - she is no longer alive alas - told me once that with Vireyas it's not a matter of seasonal flowering as their countries of origin don't have that sort of climate, but rather of when there is sufficient water available, so when one batch of flowers had gone she would water copiously and very soon there would be another set of buds forming. Wet and warm (she had them potted in a sunny porch) seemed to be the answer.

I'm finding, now that summer is warming up a bit after a poor start, that the same applies with hardy types, so far as the foliage goes anyway. I have a few dwarfs that were close to death but now potted and with the warmer weather and good deep watering, they are making new growth where I never thought there would be any, even the white R. camtschaticum, while the older foliage is going bright yellow already. The new growth is starting within just a couple of days of the first good water.

[johnw]

Lesley     - So your camtschaticums hold their previous year's foliage until new foliage is made?  If so I hate to inform you but you probably don't have a winter in Dunedin! 

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Well no John, that doesn't happen, except here, with Liquidambers. The yellowed leaves fall and then it remains bare for quite a while, new growth in maybe August but because it was so dry and actually contemplating whether to die or not, its leaves were turning yellow and a few had fallen. It's only with this huge watering its had over the last week that the new growth is appearing, seemingly unrelated to the older foliage. But OK, honestly we don't have a winter here, not to compare with the North American or European ones anyway. Our new place, I'm told, may, one year in perhaps 3, get as low as -5C, but rarely for more than a couple of days in succession. Much like that here too. Sorry to have to tell you that.

[johnw]

because it was so dry and actually contemplating whether to die or not, its leaves were turning yellow and a few had fallen.

Ah I see.   Young white camtschaticums always seem to be contemplating death.  After five years  they seem as easy as the others.

johnw

[zvone]

Hi!

The look on a Rhododendron can be beautiful also within winter...



More Pictures: http://zvonem.blogspot.si/news/

Best Regards!  zvone

[TC]

Today was the Benmore group's annual pre-season visit conducted by Peter Baxter.  We had an update to the garden's activities and work under way and a quick tour to see the current progress.  The day before there had been a snowfall and this was evident on the surrounding hills but today it was plain west coast rain although Peter said that the rainfall had been below average -hard to believe.
We saw the work on the ornamental jubilee gates which should be finished in time for opening, then to the Fernery for a look round.  Some photos attached.  The two most interesting points for me was the news that they were being given more species of Rhododendrons to plant     - you can never have too many.  The other point of great interest was a new software program containing the record of all the plants in situ
When this is complete, it will enable a search for a plant to be made.  Then all plants of this name will have their position shown on a map of the grounds.  So, if you type in Rh.oreodoxa, all the plants of this name will be shown in their exact location in the garden.  Conversely, clicking on a plant on the map will bring up its name.  As far as I know this will be available on line sometime in the future - sounds  a brilliant idea.
The afternoon finished with a talk by Carol Rowe, of Kilarden gardens Roseneath, on rhododendrons in her garden.  The garden is open on 14 April under Scottish gardens schemes - a definite date for our calendar. I was having some trouble resizing pictures for this post and have also tried the new resizer - anything could happpen so here goes.

[TC]

Seemed to work, now some more

[TC]

Last few

[Maggi Young]

My word, all those flowers at this time of year- makes my eyes water. That hillside looks cold though.
The new listing methods sound marvelous.

More on Carol Rowe's woodland rhododendron garden : http://www.rosneathpeninsula.org.uk/area/gardens/kilarden-folder

The NGS link: http://www.scotlandsgardens.org/gardens/garden/d7970034-a480-45da-968b-99c5010c65fd
Mr and Mrs J.E. Rowe
Rosneath
G84 0PU

[Maggi Young]

TC has shown us photos from Crarae Garden in the past. This garden is famous for its old rhodos so  this video tale from the National Trust for Scotland may be of interest:

http://www.nts.org.uk/ScotlandsStories/PlantHuntersTale/