Rhododendrons 2016

[David Nicholson]

Lovely set of pics Tom.

[angie]

Lovely set of pics Tom.

Yes I agree 

Angie

[Roma]

Last of my Rhodies to flower
Rhododendron 'Lava Flow'

[johnw]

Great tour Tom thanks.


A couple of late rhodos on the coast here:


Rhododendron ferrugineum


Rhododendron hirsutum or 'Montafon'


john

[TC]

John
It's interesting to see the flowering times between our two countries.  They seem to be about the same time although we are 10° farther N. than you.
I took a couple of the pictures 10 minutes ago at 20:00.  The lepidostylum has been in flower for about two weeks and the hirsutum Flore-pleno started about 10 days ago.
That's the season all but finished although it's satisfying to watch the new growth appearing from earlier flowering varieties. 

Some pictures of what is in flower and what was in flower from early June

[TC]

Some more earlier pictures
Crosswater Belle is a cinnabarinum hybrid raised at Milais nursery.
Picotee is another hybrid.
The Yak. is about 45 years old and is suffering a bit from too much shade as it is leaning out from the garage wall.
Winsome was bought a couple of years ago and is growing much larger than anticipated.
The back garden shot was taken from the gate at the gable end of the house.
Fabia surprises me by the pale green leaves but it looks exactly the same in Culzean some 12 miles farther South

[johnw]

Tom  - re: synchronized flowering


I was thinking the same thing but were you not a tad late this year?  We were a bit early as March was not as frigid as usual. In any event by June we always seem to be neck and neck.


The very late evergreen azaleas, deciduous azaleas and mountain laurels are still to come here.


john

[TC]

John
By and large we were about 3 weeks later than average, however, in late May, we had a period of about 4 weeks of warm weather when things seemed to move overnight.  This happened on the West coast although the East seemed to have heavy rain and cold weather. Historically, I remember back in the mid 1960's our flowering times were much later.

The flowering time for the cinnabarinums were about the beginning of June, now it is early May. We never bothered going to Benmore until May for the main flowering, now we start in March.
If I lived closer, I would go weekly.

A problem I face - apart from lack of space - is having a period of dormancy for the plants.   Last year I had many Rhododendrons flowering again in late October into November.  There was no real drop in temperature for a period of time.  The result was new growth ready to be chopped in Spring.  Years ago I had to get rid of praecox as it always tried to flower in late January and ended up blasted by February frosts.

Looking at the parks and gardens locally, we must be 6 weeks ahead with the azaleas.  Our visit to Bargany on the 30 May saw the azaleas in full bloom and they had opened up in the "heatwave" of regular 23°c temperatures about 10 days previously.

I live about 2 miles from the coast at 130 feet above sea level.  The gardens a few miles from me, on the coast, flower about 5/6 days earlier.  I can just about grow edgeworthii and some of the scented varieties out doors - Winter dependent.
°°
Another member of our group lives 9 miles from the sea at an altitude of 450 feet and can be decimated by frosts.  When I had -1°c, he had -12°c !  So a short distance can create huge temp. variations and corresponding flowering times.  By and large, the 3 weeks later refers to the West.  Our friends in the N. and East may well be different.

For such a small country as the UK, we have a huge variety of weather and nothing is ever certain. 

[johnw]

Tom  - I just checked the flowering dates on my pix for R. cinnabarinum in southern Nova Scotia, June 1, June 5 and June 16th.


The only change I have noticed over the years is that R. kiusianum seems to flower somewhat later and the next group of evergreen azaleas to flower are flowering somewhat earlier and over-lapping the kiusianums.


Thanks for the insights.


john

[birck j c]

Last to flower here in my garden.

didymum  DEGY 43

more flowers in the truss than Rock 44

jens

[birck j c]

Last to flower  -  but very good flowerbudset for later

Here pronum Kilbryde with 30+  of wich 10 are shown here

jens

[Steve Garvie]

Nicely grown Jens!!!
My pronum has some die-back around the periphery -any suggestions as to how to deal with it?

[ian mcdonald]

The R. ponticum types are still flowering in Scotland.

[johnw]

Rhododendron discolor with a fragrance of Epigaea & spearmint - photos - is still in flower here.  The late deciduous and evergreen azaleas are just starting up.  Even the Meconopsis are still flowering in the chilly weather.


johnw - raining & +13c.

[johnw]

The "penult" evergreen azalea to flower, R. 'Marilee' is one of the North Tisbury azaleas.  61cm h. x 200cm. w.


johnw  - 18.8c / 95% humidity.