Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Rhododendron and other Ericaceae => Topic started by: Maggi Young on January 09, 2017, 09:05:51 PM
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A sorry start to the year with this news ....
We have learned of the the deaths of two influential members of the gardening community - Sir Ilay Campbell and Timothy Whiteley The RHS comments: Timothy Whiteley was a member of RHS Council, a member of the Woody Plant Committee (and a Friend of the Committee from 2013), and a member of the Picture Committee . In addition he served short terms on the Affiliated Societies, Gardens, Horticultural Halls, Publications, RHS Enterprises, and Wisley Advisory Committees. He was Chairman of the Lily Group Committee from 1996 to 2006.
He was a plantsman with an expert knowledge of many trees and shrubs, as well as an enthusiastic grower of snowdrops and lilies (he supervised the International Lily Conference in 2004). He was the holder of the National Collection of Euonymus at his woodland garden at Evenley Wood in Northamptonshire. He was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal in 2004, the Lyttel Lily Cup in 2011, and also the OBE.
The National Trust writes: Sir Ilay Campbell inherited Crarae on the west coast of Scotland in 1968 and oversaw its transfer to the National Trust for Scotland in 2002. Sir Ilay’s extended service on the National Trust for Scotland’s Scottish Gardens Committee (1968 to 1986 and again from 1994 to 2002) led to a number of additional roles including that of the Trust’s consultant to Achamore House Garden, Gigha (from 1980 to 1991). Of particular note too was his work for the Trust as Chairman of the Arduaine Garden Local Advisory Committee (from 1996 to 2001).
It was with great pleasure that the Trust was able to acquire Crarae Garden from the Crarae Garden Charitable Trust in 2002, following a successful fundraising appeal, thereby securing a long-term future for the garden which had developed under the care of many generations of Sir Ilay’s family. It was a pleasure to see the enjoyment he took in seeing the initial restoration of the garden there.
We remain truly appreciative of Sir Ilay’s interest in plants - and his willingness to share that expertise by letters, visits and articles - which has informed the Trust’s gardens over many years. Always a gentleman and diplomat he made an exceptional contribution to the work of the Trust’s gardens.
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First Rh. of the year for me. With next to no frost ( -1°C ) being the lowest, Rh.cilpinense has survived to flower. It has been out now for over a week. Hopefully it will last a bit yet if we can escape any frosts.
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Such a charmer, Tom, if prone to frost - trying hard to open here too- it will if we get some sun.
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Whilst most of the Country appears to have a reasonably nice spell of weather today was my first gardening day for a week, after a week of dour, dreich, drizzly days (oh, such alliteration!). Constant weak fronts coming in from the South West but 13C at lunchtime.
Rhododendron praecox, perhaps a little passed it's best. I noticed that Graham Catlow posted his at least a couple of weeks ago.
R. 'Egret'
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Rhododendron 'Snow Lady'
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Rhododendron 'Snow Lady'
That's a lovely one David and looks very happy!
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Rhododendron racemosum.
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Rhododendron montroseanum settling into its new home nicely. 18 months after its transfer from my previous garden.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
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A new one for me from Glendoick's sale last summer - Rhododendron hookeri. Several more to follow from the sale as they flower.
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[attachimg=2]
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Rhododendron leucaspis -a hasty image taken before the impending frosts that are forecast over the next few nights.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3789/33515906276_db4efcd9b8_o_d.jpg)
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Some rhododendrons taken at Culzean at the weekend
Although we had no snow here and the temp. was +5°C , it's touch and go for the next couple of nights As luck would have it, my Rh.edgeworthii, Lady Alice Fitzwilliam and johnstonianum are in full bud and ready to open in about a week. The last thing I need is a night frost. I have taken my fragrantissimum indoors and it is on the dining room table. How did it get so big !!
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A few more.
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The Gunnera really does look pretty awful at this time of year!
Temperature here - which has been cold and windy all day, is dropping even more now it's dark Goodness knows what we'll get tomorrow.
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Nice set of pictures Tom.
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Rhododendron 'Snow Lady' yesterday. She's looking a bit brown today after -2C last night.
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Rhododendron pemakoense.
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wondering if someone can help me. I've had Rhododendron Cephalanthum Crebreflorum Gp for about 10 years now and every year it covered itself in flowers. This winter (before the freeze) I noticed that some of it was dying and that has continued. Pretty sure it didn't dry out in the summer before. I suspect it's had it but if anyone can suggest a cause I'd be grateful.
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Mark - My first two thoughts would be the drainage has gone off (one of the Phytophthoras) or drought, this sp. seems super sensitive to both. Any chance the weevils have girdled the trunk or devoured the roots? Great pity as it appears to be a sizeable plant.
john
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From Jens Birck's Copenhagen garden this morning. The nearly impossible to bud and flower R. proteoides in two different forms, a Jens' cinnabarinum cross, possibly the hardiest cinn cross done to date and lastly the fine foliage & flowers of R. uvarifolium.
1 proteoides cw seedling
2 proteoides cw Svend Hansen #99-35
3 Charme La x cinnabarinum 'Nepal'
4 Charme La x cinnabarinum 'Nepal'
5 uvarifolium
johnw
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Great to see the buds on proteoides John. My plant had a couple of buds last year which sadly aborted -I wish I knew why. ???
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Steve - We wondered the same of pronum and a recent RSBG article by Bengt Ernejberg on the high altitude climate where proteoides and pronum dwell hints at a possible reason for the bud abortion of these cranky subjects. Seems the rains start in summer and continue unabated through to winter. We think summer dryness itself or that dryness followed by autumn rains may cause the buds to move and then get zapped.
john
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Aye John, Rh. pronum has brought me close to tears.
I have had my plant (the R.B. Cooke clone) for about 22 years. Over the last 20 years it grew into a fine specimen of about 80cm diameter. It lived on a small raised bed adjacent to the house until 2 years ago when I had to move it (to allow for structural work on the house). I moved it to a raised peat bed where unfortunately it was both ravaged by Vine Weevils and then sustained massive die-back from the centre. By this point the plant was now in two substantially smaller pieces. Both were transplanted to separate sites and the more viable of the two has produced a couple of flower buds this year -presumably an attempt to replicate before it "taks the craw road". Sadly the flowers are not worth the 22 year wait!
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2896/33822822965_5a379bbc0b_o_d.jpg)
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More from Jens Birck in Copenhagen this morning.
1 - thomsonii
2 - 4 clones of cw recurvoides
3 - proteoides cw seedling still nicely holding its yellow. Very promising.
john
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My R. sinogrande is in flower! From seed as Cox's best selfed (ARS94-262).
johnw
Halifax, NS
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That is fantastic!
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That is fantastic!
Fantastic indeed and far too tender for Nova Scotia as well as eastern North America I'm afraid. This is in fact a seedling I grew back in 1994 and which I gave to my late friend Geo. Romanes in Kishorn, Scotland (just south of Applecross and Inverewe). We never dreamt that it would eventually settle in and do so well there as the Atlantic is just 60ft away and winds howl into that garden. His daughter Mully now tends the plants there. Another seedling went to a friend in Cambelltown but haven't had a report back in some time, it must have been sheltered as it took off straight away.
john
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My R. sinogrande is in flower! From seed as Cox's best selfed (ARS94-262).
johnw
Halifax, NS
Wow! For a few seconds i thought you have it in your garden; but it must be very rewarding to see it flowering anyway :)
I've seen few nice tree rhododendrons in Victoria at Finnerty Gardens (UVic) but very few were labeled.
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Rhododendron which blooms now:
Rh. recurvoides
Rh. przewalskii
Rh flinkii
Rh luciferum Hobbies bureavii
Rh vellereum
Thorkild DK
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Rhododendron 'Wren' and R. 'Oban'
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Rhododendron tomentosum.
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Rhododendrons were looking beautiful on Sunday but after tow nights with frost are all mushy now :'(
Two views of dwarf Rhododendrons
Rhododendron 'Phalarope'
Rhododendron hippophaeoides 'Haba Shan'
Rhododendron hippophaeoides (Yu 13845) not sure of the number but that is the only one in the Plantfinder. Not sure if it is still in Glendoick catalogue.
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Rhododendron augustinii was going to have the best flowering for years. The lower flowers were out and the ones at the top of the bush needed another two days to be at their best. Anemone nemorosa at its base was not consciously planned but looked good.
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Rhododendron kesangiae -one of the few large-leaved rhodies to thrive in my garden (I lack the space and wind-shelter).
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2868/34008720676_9624af36c5_o_d.jpg)
Rhododendron megeratum -the Bodnant form. Grows on a sunny raised bed facing south and protected from excess frost by adjacent house walls and large fence. It survived the hard freeze of 2010 here but was partly defoliated despite fleece protection.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2828/34008720836_85033d9284_o_d.jpg)
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Steve
My that is one lovely no-apologies-pink kesangiae.
I got cuttings from a friend in Victoria of that marvelous Bodnant form of megeratum last autumn. Every one rooted including cuttings of what arrived; I used one third each live green sphagnum, peat and pumice. All placed in plastic bags under lights 24 hours on at 17c. All rooted in a few weeks and were growing away in short order, new shoots consistently pinched after 2 leaves. Nice bushy plants now and ready to go out.
Thanks for posting - spectacular photography as usual.
john
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Scottish Gardens- Rhodoendron Festival - loads of lovely gardens taking part, Glendoick etc .... but this particular link is for Glenarn.... http://discoverscottishgardens.org/garden/glenarn-glorious-gardens-of-argyll-and-bute/ (http://discoverscottishgardens.org/garden/glenarn-glorious-gardens-of-argyll-and-bute/)
Join Glenarn owners Mike and Sue to celebrate rhododendrons on the 29thApril. as part of the #RhodoFest https://tinyurl.com/n22oknh (https://tinyurl.com/n22oknh) - follow either of the links given for some photos
From the DSG site :
" From Catherine Erskine, Chair of Discover Scottish Gardens:
“Welcome to Discover Scottish Gardens.”
“We hope to encourage you to discover new gardens that you have never visited, find nurseries where unusual plants are grown, seek out champion trees in gardens and woodlands, uncover gardens large and small, visit sculpture gardens, locate places to stay with good gardens and identify societies to join and learn more about plants and gardens.”
“If you are a student or volunteer, I also hope that this website will help you to find a placement of training. Search individual garden profiles for volunteer opportunities.”
Vision
There are over 300 gardens open to the public in Scotland, and the diversity of plants on offer is staggering. Our vision is to inspire you to visit Scotland’s gardens, whether you’re interested in horticulture or simply wanting an enjoyable day out.
Mission
The mission of Discover Scottish Gardens is to showcase the diversity and beauty of our gardens and to inspire and inform you to plan trips to gardens across Scotland.
About Us
Discover Scottish Gardens is a network of gardens, plant nurseries and related businesses which have come together to promote the rich diversity of our gardens to Scotland’s many visitors.
Our Steering Group is made up of garden and horticultural organisations
including: the National Trust for Scotland; the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh; Scotland’s Gardens; Cambo Estate; Attadale Gardens and Brightwater Holidays.
We aim to provide a platform for members to share the wonderful horticultural array that Scotland has on offer all year round, as well as launching new festivals and events to celebrate the seasons.
Discover Scottish Gardens is a not-for-profit co-operative and is financed through membership subscriptions, sponsorship and funding from VisitScotland’s Growth Fund.
Our website is designed to showcase the diversity and beauty of our gardens and to provide would-be visitors with practical information about getting to a garden and about what to expect when they arrive.
Contact us at info@discoverscottishgardens.org "
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I love your Rhododendron bed Roma, wish I had the acid soil and space for similar. Instead I'm building a little collection of dwarf growers which are in pots at the moment. They were destined for troughs but I'm not sure I've enough level ground left to stand them on. Here's one of them R. fastigiatum
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Rhododendron luteum, Rhododendron 'Ems' (left) and Rhododendron rubidosum (right), Rhododendron spinuliferum, and Rhododendron 'Egret'.
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Two seedlings from a (bureavii x yakushimanum) x kesangiae cross. Seeds came from The American Rhododendron Society seedlist 2015.
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Two seedlings from a (bureavii x yakushimanum) x kesangiae cross. Seeds came from The American Rhododendron Society seedlist 2015.
I did the same cross in 2004, the plants have been desperately slow. The root systems were very poor and another hybridizer told me to throw them out, well that was certainly not going to happen! Here's a shot from this past autumn, it seems to have snapped out of its stupor. One kesangiae cross from the same year but with a different & complex seed parent is budded so we shall see if the wait was worth it.
john
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There is time in Rhododendron bloom now,
but it is a cold April months.
Picture 1: Rh Pratti
Picture 2: Rh wasonii cox Yllow am form
Picture 3: Rh trailianum
Picture4: Rh wallichii
Picture 5: Rh globigerum
Thorkild DK.
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Rhododendron edgeworthii -This plant is a survivor having lived through a number of bad winters (including the -15C of 2010-2011). It grows in a dilapidated unheated shade tunnel from which it has recently burst out into the sunlight. In the tunnel it is leggy and far from pretty but the branches which have pushed through the shade netting into the sunlight are compact and laden with glorious scented blooms.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/33484305624_305fc069df_o_d.jpg)
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Steve - It doesn't get much better than that in the rhodo world......
johnw
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A couple of updates from Jens Birck, we saw these in bud a while back.
('Bambi' x proteides) x citriniflorum ssp. horaeum @ Birck's
Charme-La x cinnabarinum 'Nepal' P1050620, this could be an incredible breakthrough.
john
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I decided to take a risk with some scented varieties and planted them on an east facing wall....against all advice I had read. The result...so far...has been a success.
This is their second year in situ and they have been flowering well. Martha Wright has been covered in blooms and is still flowering with more buds yet to open. The Edgeworthii has only one leaf which has browned and Lady Alice is also growing strongly. Tinkerbird will be opened shortly and extend the perfume season and the Loderi has also opened although some pruning may have to be done as the bulk of the flowers are some 8 feet up. My johnstoneanum is bit of a disappointment. Although growing well and flowering it has no scent. We bought it because of it's strong perfume but seemingly nobody told my plant what it was expected to do !
On our way back from the Perth show, my car took an involuntary turn into Glendoick and despite my protestations that we did not have a square inch of space left in the garden we left with two small Rhoddies !....Levinei and Camelliiflorum. I will probably grow these in pots along with my fragrantissimum and sestertianum.
My remaining Augustinii is surviving and flowering without any help from me. The other one was killed by me when trying to straighten it after a gale. It snapped at ground level.
I was later told that the stems are brittle and should not be bent...wise council but too late !
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On our way back from the Perth show, my car took an involuntary turn into Glendoick and despite my protestations that we did not have a square inch of space left in the garden we left with two small Rhoddies !
;D ;D ;D
Oh how true.
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From Jens in Copenhagen this evening. Jens' own cross of (insigne x proteoides), now known as Birck's Dane. Grown by his biddy Svend-Aage Askjaer. Can this really be beat?
john
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Rhododendron cinnabarinum KCSH0318, R. 'Arctic Tern', R. Bow Bells', and R. 'Persil'.
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Rhododendron Carmen img. 1020510. An unknown dwarf Rhodo. img. 1020511.
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An unknown dwarf Rhodo. img. 1020511.
Ian - This is one of the campylogynums.
john
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Thanks John.
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From Jens Birck's garden in Copenhagen yesterday.
1. Rhododendron augustinii right rear, R. roxienaum centre left
2. Rhododendron 'Top Banana' left rear & R. 'Biskra' right rear
3.& 4 Rhododendron 'What A Dane' left & cinnabarinum Roylei Group right
'What A Dane' is Jens' magnificent cinnabarinum hybrid that even does well here in coastal Nova Scotia.
johnw
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8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
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Cracking set of pictures from Jens' garden John.
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Rhododendron 'Gartendirector Glocker'.
I can't say I really like this one, but too expensive to chuck out.
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Why would one grow R. orbiculare? It certainly has wonderful round foliage, often, in the best forms, with a distinct blue cast. But whio would have thought it could flower quite so heavily? Where else than at Jens Birck's in Copenhagen.
Rhododendron orbiculare @ Jens Birck's
johnw - a nasty sunny 27c, too much heat for me.
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Two beauties from Jens' garden this morning.
Rhododendron 'Goldsprenkel' @ JCB
Rhododendron 'Nordic Smile' @ JCB
I'm drooling and smiling.
john - 28c yesterday, 10c today. NYC was 97F yesterday, must be up in the very high 30'sC.
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The last of my small collection of potted dwarf Rhododendrons to flower-Rhododendron keleticum
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How many times can a jaw drop in Spring? A very special time at Jens Birck's in Copenhagen today, it's Rhododendron campylogynum time again.
089 pink form in afternoon light
094 black form
114 yellow form
john
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That's a cracking yellow!
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And the yellow campoylogynum may be the only plant on Planet Earth!
john
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David, a local nursery brought in "Gartendirektor Glocker" the other year, and found that some had been mislabelled. Instead of Gartendirektor Glocker, they received "Gartendirektor Rieger", perhaps our favourite Rhododendron to date.
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A walk about the garden today with Rhododendrons in mind and i-phone in hand.
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Rhododendron keiskei flowering with a bit of pink, not uncommon in springs like this with such very depressed temperatures.
john
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At Jens Birck's this morning.
138 Baby Dane
827 (Tessa Dane x yellow campylogynum)
844 heliolepis
'Baby Dane' is Jens' own evergreen azalea hybrid and the 'Tessa Dane' cross is his own lepidote hybrid. R. heliolepsis likely his own Chinese collection.
john
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"Gartendirektor Rieger"
Gordon
Odd a local nursery would be bringing Glocker in as it's not really suited to most of the province. Nevertheless Rieger is very easy to root and one of the fastest. It is the most compatible for grafting the likes of the difficult ones - the Taliensia spp. and yellows. Jens has used this extensively with the gothic window graft.
john
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Deciduous azaleas and evergreen japanese azalea - Rhododendron 'Rosebud'
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Cracking display Roma.
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David, a local nursery brought in "Gartendirektor Glocker" the other year, and found that some had been mislabelled. Instead of Gartendirektor Glocker, they received "Gartendirektor Rieger", perhaps our favourite Rhododendron to date.
Sorry Gordon, I missed your post. Yes, I do like your 'GR' (too many letters for me ;D ) and I have to say that the flower colour and shape on 'GD' improved with age.
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Another stunner from Jens in Copenhagen yesterday, pink R. campylogynum.
Rhodos here in Halifax are almost at peak and I'm hoping the cool weather continues as Société des rhododendrons du Québec are here for a tour on Sunday.
john
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From Jens Birck's Copenhagen garden this morning, the first two a surprise as they're two of my own hybrids - 1. 'Scotian Rosebud', 2. 'Scotian Breeze' and lastly 3. a very good R. thayerianum with R. heliopis to its right.
johnw - cloudy, rains at times torrential - presently +11.5, yesterday we were in full summer mode at 23c.
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I was at a friend's in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia yesterday. The heat was an insufferable 30.5c but spied two shockers.
1. a rather large R. pronum
2. a R. proteoides apparently with a good set of seed
A hot drive home but the temp plunged to 9c overnight.
johnw - 15.5c & sunny.
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A very late one here, Rhododendron dichroanthum subsp. apodectum.
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Dundock gardens at Coldstream should have a good display now, unless it is already finished.
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A few pix from Jens in Copenhagen yesterday.
Rhododendron 'Lem's Stormcloud' x rex with 30cm of new growth, too big for his garden but he says he wants to see if the red of Stormcloud is inheritable.
a self-seeded R. rex
R. 'Scotian Rosebud'
john
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Here (https://www.kew.org/blogs/kew-science/hidden-poisons-rhododendron-nectar)'s an interesting article from Kew on rhododendron grayanotoxins & 'mad honey'.
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My new Rhododendron sinofalconeri arrived yesterday (who said money can't buy happiness). Any chance that it will survive in my zone 7 garden? It is protected against wind, the average minimum temperature during the last 8 years is minus 12,4 degree C, the absolute minimum was minus 16, and we do have occasional late frosts well into May.
Anders
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Anders - You will not have a problem growing sinofalconeri. I attach an Eiberg picture of a big one in Denmark. Several people I know are growing in in Connecticut and Martha's Vineyard, both are colder than you. I have several seedlings growing here but I want to get them sized-up before planting out.
john
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I've posted some pics of Rhododendrons in flower from the FCHS Floral Festival on the Southern Hemisphere thread:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=15773.30 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=15773.30)
cheers
fermi
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Good to hear John, I might even invest in a rex to plant next to the sinofalconei.
Anders