Rhododendrons for pots

[mark smyth]

I would like get some Rhododendrons for added colour in the back garden. Can I have some suggestions please. The larger the flower the better. The pots cant be much bigger than 18 inches

I did do this in March 2003 but cant remember doing it

[Martin Baxendale]

Where are you planning on buying from, Mark? Garden centres or specialist mail-order, e.g. Glendoick?

[mark smyth]

Glendoik does mail order!? It woud be them. Garden centres here all carry the same mass produced rubbish

[johnw]

Mark - Try these:

yellow - Curlew or Wren, Yellow Bunting

white - Lucy Lu, leucaspis

orange - nakaharai

red - campylogynum vars., forestii Repens or chamaethomsonii, Carmen

pink - campylogynum vars, CALOSTROTUM 'GIGHA',  Ginny gee

purple  - CALOSTROTUM ssp. RIPARIOIDES ROCK'S FORM

Most from Glendoick, www.glendoick.com

johnw

[Tony Willis]

Glendoik does mail order!? It woud be them. Garden centres here all carry the same mass produced rubbish

Clearly you have not been credit crunched if you are thinking of Gledoick,I may be wrong but I think their minimum order  is £100 plus carriage.

[Martin Baxendale]

£100 minimum order for overseas, £40 for UK, excluding VAT and P&P. Here's the link: (but don't blame me if you end up spending a lot more than that! (I always do)  :

http://www.glendoick.com/

[Martin Baxendale]

Mark, Glendoick's plants are always superb, good bushy shrubs and mostly well budded so they give a good display the first year.

[Martin Baxendale]

You'll probably want to look first at the dwarf lepidote hybrids (Curlew etc) but also take a look at the williamsianum and repens hybrids, and at the lepidote species, including the maddenias if you want scent as well (tend to be a little tender but some should be okay for outdoors in N. Ireland).

[Martin Baxendale]

Sorry, I meant the maddenia hybrids (within the lepidote species section). Lady Alice Fitzwilliam is superb and really quite hardy, has survived outside here for over 10 years and a superb scent.

[Lesley Cox]

Just about EVERY Rhododendron does well in a pot provided you give it the right compost and never let it dry out, maybe some shading in very hot, sunny periods. So look at catalogues with a view to size and colour you want. In a pot, the mature plant looks best if it's just a bit bigger than the pot itself, a little wider, a littler higher, seems to be a nice proportion.

[Martin Baxendale]

Just about EVERY Rhododendron does well in a pot provided you give it the right compost and never let it dry out. In a pot, the mature plant looks best if it's just a bit bigger than the pot itself, a little wider, a littler higher, seems to be a nice proportion.

Or in my case, MUCH bigger - e.g. I have Rhodo. 'Polar Bear', 10ft tall, in a tub about 30 inches wide by about 24 inches deep. Flowers okay though. I have little choice, my soil being limey.

[johnw]

Sorry, I meant the maddenia hybrids (within the lepidote species section). Lady Alice Fitzwilliam is superb and really quite hardy, has survived outside here for over 10 years and a superb scent.

'Harry Tag', edgeworthii (a new dwarfer pink one, I believe Glendoick has it but may not be listed) and pendulum are charmers in the Maddenia as well. DALHOUSIAE var. RHABDOTUM might just blow you away, you did say big flowers.

johnw

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Just about EVERY Rhododendron does well in a pot provided you give it the right compost and never let it dry out. In a pot, the mature plant looks best if it's just a bit bigger than the pot itself, a little wider, a littler higher, seems to be a nice proportion.

Or in my case, MUCH bigger - e.g. I have Rhodo. 'Polar Bear', 10ft tall, in a tub about 30 inches wide by about 24 inches deep. Flowers okay though. I have little choice, my soil being limey.

I guess you've got it fixed very well to keep the wind from blowing it over all the time Martin

[Martin Baxendale]

I guess you've got it fixed very well to keep the wind from blowing it over all the time Martin

Funny you should say that. It toppled over in the snow blizzard last night. First time it's ever done that in over 10 years, being in a very sheltered corner at the back of the house. The combination of a top-heavy load of wet, sticky snow and strong gusts of wind was obviously too much for it. Must go out and pick it back up.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Didn't want to bring a bad Omen Martin...