Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Rhododendron and other Ericaceae => Topic started by: Maggi Young on February 13, 2021, 12:45:13 PM
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Rhododendron Research Network
Newsletter - February 12, 2021
https://mailchi.mp/4682b7de6037/rhodo-researchnet-july-2019-news-5088438
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The following rhodo images were made by Hannah Wilson in the RGB Ediburgh the other day. More photos in the RBGE pages! (starting here https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=9420.msg420386#msg420386 )
To begin, two sets of Rhododenron recurvoides, one of Hannah's favourites!
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second set of R. recurvoides
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now some others .....
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and ...
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flowers from SRGC member Alison Hogg on Facebook " Best flowering for several years - R x cilpinense and praecox usually get frosted. Last year R thomsonii had no flowers at all - making up for it this year! "
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R. x cilpinense
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R. praecox
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Alison's R. thompsonii
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I can't compete with you Maggi, but here are two species in my garden.
Rh. barbatum has taken the cold winter almost without damage. Only some brown edges of the leaves.
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Rh. sutchuenense opens soon!
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Rhododendron calophytum's maiden bloom, purchased as a seedling several years ago.
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Rhododendron schlippenbachii, grown from seed planted in 2000
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Rhododendron arboreum, grown from seed (MECC 22) planted in 1999. It started to flower for the first time last year. I was expected red flowers, I got pink!
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How do you grow Rhodys from seed Claire? I've tried a couple of times but never had any germination.
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How do you grow Rhodys from seed Claire? I've tried a couple of times but never had any germination.
Try our method, Tristan - Growing on Sphagnum, : from The Rock Garden 90/39 - download it here: http://files.srgc.net/journals/vol_1%20to_113/90.pdf
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Thanks Maggi, that will be really useful.
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Thanks from me too Maggi, that's really excellent. I struggle with Ericaceae from seed.
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My method is very similar to Maggi and Ian's article. I surface sow rhododendron seeds and other Ericaceae, as well as meconopsis, primula, and most campanulas. I've been fairly successful with seeds, but often fail with growing on. I can take notes from the article too!
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Rhododendron hippophaeoides and Daphne 'Lawrence Crocker', both putting on a great show this year.
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Nice looking daphne. Is the colour in your photo true? Looks a good purple, rather than pinkish?
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I surface sow rhododendron seeds and other Ericaceae, as well as meconopsis, primula, and most campanulas. I've been fairly successful with seeds, but often fail with growing on.
I do the same, but use a mix of peat and perlite and surfice sow on it. Germination is not a problem, but also for me the most losses come with growing them on, and in future years with our winters.
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Hello, Gail. The picture color is true. I'd describe the color of my 'Lawrence Crocker' as mauve.
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Old reliable R. primuliflorum in flower. About 25 years old and suffered ther indignity of our bare-rooting at Glendoic in late March, includinmg a walkabout London in 70F temperature before flying homer to snow-covered ground. Poor thing but it's now 5 feet across.
johnw in coastal Nova Scotia
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Lovely pictures everyone. My one big Rhodo and one Azalea just about to burst into flower.
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Rhododendron strigillosum at a friend's yesterday. Do have a closer look st those bristles.
A perfect spring for rhodos, wet and bone-chilling!
john
5c
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Same friend but the Brodick form of R. praevernum. A massive plant covered in flowers for several weeks now.
john
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And my favourite - R. thomsonii.
The highlight of my visit to Anitra's garden yesterday was her Rhododendron thomsonii. A controlled pollination by the RSF, the seedlings were distributed by Briggs as an RSF fundaiser back when they were keen on rhodos,. This is a very special seedlng, the shoots are purple as are the new leaves, when it flushes it is like a cloud of smoke and very hard to focus on it. With flowers still hanging on it is quite the magical sight. The year these were released our society had a few left over and Anitra asked me if I thought it would survive. Well it did well for rme in southern Nova Scotia but I seriously doubted it would be hardy in her area and they were not cheap. However I saw a canary in a goldmine here and quickly replied of course it will. To my relief it survived along with my reputation which is battered quite enough. The flowers, the bark - what more could one ask for? What a species! johnw - 5c in cold rain & wind.
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I received this photo of ’What A Dane’ from Jens Birck a few mornings ago, his creation in his Copenhagen garden this morning. It’s doing extremely well in southern Nova Scotia and soon will be tried here in Halifax. Never a speck of powdery mildew on it outdoors here. We had quite a few for sale this Spring but they went before the ink dried; we had hoped to have them in June for the upcoming ARS Convention but not a chance. In retrospect it's good they sold as the physical Convention has been switched to a zoom version. A fantastic hybrid that 'What A Dane' with real flower power, it never ceases to amaze me.
john
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Help required to I.D. this rhododendron. It was purchased at the Scottish Rh. show at Garelochead about 5 years ago - without a label or name. I thought that it was a cinnabarinum variety but on flowering it is obviously not. It is a "twiggy" upright variety reminding me of my Augustinii in habit. It puts on about 20cms. growth a year and is now about 2 metres tall. It has survived heavy rain, frost and anything the weather can throw at it. Apart from one miserable misshapen flower last year, this is the first time I have had a "show" although somewhat sparse in blooms.
The flowers are in pairs and about 4 cms. in size. The plant looks as if it wants to be a tree which does not suit the space available.
Has anyone got an idea as to what it is?
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Here we are Rhodo Peeping Tom and our Azalea.
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And a big day here with the 2nd flowering of the 2016 acquisition of a seedling R. platypodum. A sensational species with round blue leaves and trusses of 13 very large icing sugar pink bell flowers.
3rd shot R. vellereum in full flower out on the cooler coast.
Of note Ken was at that coastal garden today working and found a R. yakushimanum seedling which appears to be true at only 2.5" tall. I can't say I've ever seen that before.
john
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'Winsome'.
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RHS Rhododendron Camellia & Magnolia Group Video - youtube channel =
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9nmENFAJhU16Qa2ersVVLQ
Russell Beeson takes you into his town garden, packed full of wonderful plants. He talks through a selection of Rhododendrons out in flower and shows you what you can do with a smaller space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lP-BuunIIk
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Here's 'Wren' yesterday, cuttings came from Glendoick in the early 1980s thanks to Peter Cox back in the days when a phyto was easy. It's yellow, it's prostrate & one of the best of Glendoick's lepidote hybrids here on the coast of Nova Scotia. It flowers dependably every year and is a personal favourite. The plant was 1.5m across but I had to remove some branches that were overtaking some good fastigiatums.
Interestingly it is on a bit of a mound with a sharp vertical drop to its south, level ground to the north, east and west. It hadn't done much until I faced that south edge with 10 cm thick peat blocks to cool off & keep moist that side of the root system, it was as if it had been waiting for those blocks as it immediately took off like a shot.
Highly recommended and without the miffiness of R. ludlowii!
johnw
8c & sunny @ 10:00 AST
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The Rhododendron world has lost a truly great & innovative plantsman, Jens Christian Birck of Copenhagen, Denmark. My sincere condolences to his wife Kari and his family, and to his dear friend Svend Hansen and his wife Birgit. Both Jens and Svend grew the most beautiful rhododendrons I have ever seen, his own garden was pure perfection. In the early 1990s I reached out to Jens with great trepidation, in awe of such a giant of the rhodo world, we had a long chat and within days my request for the elusive proteoides R.151 pollen arrived in the mail. Our friendship developed through visits and travel and we declared several months ago and re-affirmed two weeks ago that we were mutual & absolute best friends. He & I had prepared for this day for several years nevertheless the news comes as a devastating shock. Just last night I posted his 'Spider Dane' on the internet which is but the tip of the iceberg of his legacy to the rhodo world, the immensity of which will take years to be discovered.. Popular lecturer worldwide for his insightful observations and innovations in the Genus Rhododendron. Plant Hunter in China with Svend and later with Warren Berg & June Sinclair. ARS Gold Medal Winner. Founding father in 1973 of The Danish Chapter, one of the Founding Fathers of the Swedish Chapter, ARHS Honourary Life Member. Renowned Hybridiser whose selections can be found at Baumschule Hachmann. The world has lost a wonderful & generous human being.
John Weagle
Halifax, Nova Scotia
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I am sure I am not alone in being greatly saddened by this news of the death of Jens Christian Birck.
While sending condolences to his friends and family, we must also realise the rhododendron world has lost someone irreplaceable.
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John, my real passion for rhododendrons developed in part by watching the photos of rhododendrons posted on the Internet by one German collector, and in part the photos of plants in JCB's garden posted here by you and him over the years. And then in 2017 I asked you a question about JCB's fortunei, and you wrote me how to get seeds of this plant - the batch I got from ARHS was among the first I tried to sow... On our mailing group I wrote that we'll remember JCB thanks to the plants he created, but I'll remember JCB forever because of these triggers that made me not only a rhododendron lover, but also a rhododendron hybridizer, as the Master himself. So I was very saddened upon learning today that JCB passed away.
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Rhododendron keiskei 'Yaku Fairy' grown many years ago from SRGC seed
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Rhodo. 'Oban' Will have to repot it and get rid of the trees Scots pine and Larch are a bit big for pot sharing.
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Rhodos 'Elsie Lee' and 'Panda' later flowering and escaped the frost. Last year Elsie was covered in buds but got very dry and they all aborted.
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