Rhododendron... every garden should have some

[mark smyth]

I would like to grow some small R. vireya in my unheated green house. Am I asking too much?

[ian mcenery]

I've been out collecting seeds again, can anyone help me identify these?



Pianma pass, Liuku, Nujiang, Yunnan, around 3000m altitude:

(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)

3 looks a bit like a form of arboreum to me

[GordonT]

I've been out collecting seeds again, can anyone help me identify these?

Tianchi Lake, Shangri-La, Yunnan - Rh. rupicola ssp. rupicola, I presume?

(Attachment Link)

The first one looks to me like Rhododendron hippophaeoides, though I am not familiar with R. rupicola. If it is R. hippophaeoides, narrow and small leaf blades with many flowered heads, would suggest it is variety occidentale.

[johnw]

I would like to grow some small R. vireya in my unheated green house. Am I asking too much?

Mark

No problem as long as it does freeze in there.  About 2c is about the lowest w/o trouble.  Some of the alpine ones are said to take light frosts (i.e -1c with a temp bounce shortly thereafter) but they're so rare and beautiful I wouldn't risk a test.

Go fob the dwarf ones like St. Valentine et al as the others can get awfully rangy even with pruning.  At one time I had about 25 or 30 of them until I couldn't no longer move in the ghouse.  I gave them all away except for St. V, its sister, 2 saxifagoides hybrids (v v dwarf) and christinae x jasminiflorum (intermediate).

Extremely open mix with coir chunks and pumice in clay pots, underpot and never but never water when moist.

[johnw]

Can't see any indumentum which should be clearly visinble for arboreum.

Leaf not correct for hippophaeoides, habit should be more upright and flowers too small, see attached.  Also have a white one here - - Glendoick Ice???.

johnw