Rhododendron... every garden should have some

[David Nicholson]

(I didn't tell you about the spelling, cos I was debating  drawing Susan S' attentoin to it, so she could tell you...... )

Eeek! that's not fair

[tonyg]

On a trip South I stayed with some nice folk who had a very nice Rhododendron filled garden in Tunbridge Wells. Tony Cox has been collecting Rhodies for many years, including many raised from seed from home and from the Himalayas.  I snatched a few pictures on a rainy morning before catching the 0851 train home.  Here is just a flavour of what was there.

[Diane Whitehead]

Such a lovely garden!

This is aureum, which I bought as a seedling in 1974.  It has not flowered
yet, but I'm not giving up yet.  It doesn't take much room, and the leaves
are pleasing.

Yes, I was definitely wrong.  I've just been going through old records, and aureum died long ago.
The plant in the photo is clementinae, which I bought as a seedling in 1980.  Still no flowers.

[johnw]

Such a lovely garden!


Yes, I was definitely wrong.  I've just been going through old records, and aureum died long ago.
The plant in the photo is clementinae, which I bought as a seedling in 1980.  Still no flowers.

Of course clementinae, so obvious now.  Had it for years and still no flowers yet.  You should have flowers in the next 10 years. Superb foliage, what?

johnw   - +17c and spring is 3 weeks ahead of usual.

[zvone]

On a trip South I stayed with some nice folk who had a very nice Rhododendron filled garden in Tunbridge Wells. Tony Cox has been collecting Rhodies for many years, including many raised from seed from home and from the Himalayas.  I snatched a few pictures on a rainy morning before catching the 0851 train home.  Here is just a flavour of what was there.

Vau!

Beutiful!

Thank's Tony!

Best Regards!   Zvone

[Maggi Young]

See this post for some Rhodos  in Ascreavie... the garden of the late collector Major George Sherriff:

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9018.msg246546#msg246546

[ian mcenery]

Poor spring here due to the last very dry summer following the cold winter. But the rain so far looks like the plants are recovering for next year. In spite of this a couple flowering for me at the moment

[TC]

I am extremely jealous !  This must be my worst year for flowering Rhods.  Last Autumn, I had a xanthocodon flowering in October/November.  Other varieties were rather precocious in producing flowerbuds.  Of course, a mild but very wet Winter encouraged them to flower early.  Some of the dwarf varieties flowered in January.
The inevitable happened.  As the buds were starting to open in April----two nights of frost.   That put paid to the the flowers.  The new growth started and then last week, 3 days of gale force NE winds at a temp. of 7c, burned all the new growth to a crisp.  My prize Rh. albrectii seems to have given up the ghost after only two years in situ. Dead flowers and no sign of growth.
The rain stopped so I took a break and went outside to have a closer look at some of the plants ---- not as bad as I thought.  The xanthocodon has produced some more buds which have now opened.  Fabia, Winsome, Tinkerbird and Dorothy Evans may produce a decent show--time will tell.
Logan gardens on Saturday had its scented varieties in bloom although some of the edgeworthii's had damaged leaves.  The flowers of this plant are attractive looking at both the front and the back.  The perfume is wonderful,
The other picture was taken out of the dining room window and hour ago in the rain and wind.  I had forgotten how green everything looks ---something to do with our rainfall ?

[ian mcenery]

.
Logan gardens on Saturday had its scented varieties in bloom although some of the edgeworthii's had damaged leaves.  The flowers of this plant are attractive looking at both the front and the back.  The perfume is wonderful,

Tom I can smell them from here. Unfortunately mine won't flower this year

[johnw]

Exciting times here!  First flowering of Jens Birck's What A Dane in Nova Scotia.  The plant is 2m high and seems to be hardy enough in southern Nova Scotia.  The colour is unique for this area.

johnw   - +19c and we are promised a glorious Victoria Day long weekend.

[Hoy]

Johnw, congrats, what a colour!

[zvone]

Hi!

Rhododendron from My Garden:



Best Regrds!  zvone

[zvone]

Hi!

Azalea from My Garden:



Best Regards!  zvone

[johnw]

The first is another terrific Pogoantha species, trichostomum and here the selection Rae Berry. Rae who lived in Portland, Oregon was a subscriber to Forrest's China expeditions, she had met him in the lobby of a hotel in Honolulu and ambushed him and signed up on the spot!  When she sowed 100 flats of his first seed distribution she loaded them up in her car and drove them up into the mountains to spend the winter, retrieving them out of the snow in Spring.  She had great germination. Now that's dedication!

The last photo  a very unusual form of kiusianum, little sparrow from the Japanese.  There is only one other red kiusianum  - name escapes me ('Yubae' maybe) but it's rather flat growing - but this one is very close to orange though it doesn't show well in the photo.

johnw

[Hoy]

My contribution today is Rh bureavii and Loiseleuria procumbens! Bureavii do very well here and has a lot of flowers this year. The alpine azalea do not grow in my garden though.