Rhododendron... every garden should have some

[Maggi Young]

So it is, John! Perhaps the optician who keeps sending me letters telling me my eye test is overdue has a point after all! R. dendrocharis isn't out here yet, either!

[Diane Clement]

The rhodies have suddenly started to move here. 
Rhododendron fletcherianum Yellow Bunting (seems more cream than yellow)
Rhododendron Sapphire
Rhododendron Blue tit (while the name might suggest this is a "bird" hybrid from Glendoick, it is not!)
This plant came from a friend's garden which was due to go under concrete.  It was dug up and shoved unceremoniously into the back of our car (a very tight squeeze!)  Amazingly it survived the move and several years later it continues to delight at this time of year.  The underplanting of Anemone Robinsoniana makes a good colour combination - both shades of lavender blue.

[TC]

A few rhoddies in flower in our garden.
This is the third Elizabeth we have grown.  The first died , the second grew vertically so was removed, and this one seems to be behaving.
Ginny Gee often gets blasted by a sudden frost but has lasted for 5 days now - here's hoping.
The blue one was a two leaved rooted cutting when we planted it and has never failed to flower profusely.

[Diane Whitehead]

We grow lots of rhododendrons here in Victoria British Columbia, though they are not very
well matched to our climate.  They are glorious in bloom, and then in the summer when
they are trying to make new growth, they have to cope with drought.  Some years when
we have severe watering restrictions, they look miserable and produce very small new leaves.

There is one exception I have found - R. racemosum, which copes beautifully without needing
to be watered with a hose.  It grows on a bank with several kinds of Cistus, kinnikinnick
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and Lithodora Grace Ward.

[johngennard]

A few rhodos.currently in flower.How nice to see them without frost damage for a change.

    R.Yunnanense
    R.Razorbill
    R.Primuliflorum Doker la
    R.Augustinii

[Maggi Young]

How feminine the flowers of R. yunnanense are.  Razorbill is a spinuliferum hybrid and yours looks to be a fair old size, John, considering it is quite slow growing. R. primuliflorum in all its forms is possibly my absolute favourite rhodo, just so neat in the flower.
Thanks for these, John I am so enjoying your garden!

[johngennard]

The same goes for me Maggie.Your garden is an inspiration to me and I must try harder with the eythroniums.I have ordered quite a lot from Susan and I have several pots full of seedlings at different stages of development on which I shall seek Ian's advice on how to deal with them from these stages.I usually pot-on the whole pot of seedlings undisturbed the year after germination but what do I do with them in their fourth year ?

[Ian Y]

Great pics John it is not that I do not like rhododendrons, I love them, but I cannot help noticing the fine clump of Arum creticum to the right of the picture of R. augustinii.
As for your erythronium seedlings by the fourth year they should be ready to go out into the garden.
I have a short article on how I grow erythroniums coming out in the next 'Rock Garden' the SRGC twice yearly Journal. This article is to compliment the one I wrote last year on the species in cultivation and hopefully it should answer all your questions. If not ask away.

[johngennard]

Ian,the Arum creticum was planted about five years ago.It came from the garden of the late Stuart Piggins who was a prominent member of the AGS and the rock garden club in Nottingham.He left his total estate of about £800,000 and all of his plants to the AGS who then appointed the NRGC to distribute the plants.Not being a at the centre of things I was approached at the tailend so to speak to see if I could accomadate a large specimen of R.Williamsianum as no other member could.I willingly did so and when collecting it I was also given the Arum and a particularly good form of Helleborus argutifolius collected in the Causicus by Stuart Piggins himself.I am pleased to say that in spite of them all being moved in full growth they have all thrived with a lot of TLC.I will be posting a picture of the Williamsianum shortly.
To return to Harvington Snowgoose I did as Maggie requested and th measurements ar as follows:-

         Leaf length   26cms.
           ,,   width    6.2 ,,
         Flower stem  37cms.
         Width of flower  12cms,

The flower seems like a whopper to me but I have'nt got your experience with the genus so it might not seem that big to you ?

[mark smyth]

I too should show that I dont only just grow bulbous and alpines

This is 'Lady Alice Fitzwilliam' although non hardy came through the last two winters with no fleece. I know dont count your eggs ... But it has some strange damage on most of the flowers at the point of the upper petals

[mark smyth]

ooh I like primuliflorum!

[Diane Whitehead]

I love it too.  The leaves smell like honeycomb.  (I'm a former beekeeper.)

[Casalima]

ooh I like primuliflorum!

Me too! The flowers have a distinct vireya look about them.

Chloë

[mark smyth]

I was in Margaret Glynn's garden todan trialling a borrowed Canon Ixus 50. Anyone know how to change the focus point to centre only?

Here are a few of her Rhododendrons

[johngennard]

A few rhodos.to keep Maggie happy

 Rhodo.campylogynum   Typing error:this is R. campylocarpum
 Campylogynum close-up  Typing error:this is R. campylocarpum
 R.Loderei.
 Loderei close-up
 R.loderei Venus
 Loderei Venus
 R.dendrocharis.
 R.dendrocharis Glendoick Gem
 R.Edgeworthii
 R.Edgeworthii form