Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Rhododendron and other Ericaceae => Topic started by: Maggi Young on March 17, 2008, 02:47:31 PM
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It is a slow start to the rhodo season here in Aberdeen. We have got good flowering on the hybrid 'Cilpinense', which I showed just coming into flower in the "chilly" thread and I have managed to miss taking a photo of R. dauricum, which is over now :-[ Elsewhere in Aberdeen gardens there are good bushes of old red hybrids, with R. barbatum blood and fine shows from R. praecox and the variety 'Tessa' .... here in our own garden however, the flowers are few. There are one or two early flowers on R. hippophaioides, a plant which will not flower too well this year, even later next month when it is "supposed" to flower.... it has done exceptionally well in the last two years and so I do not grudge it a year off!
Rhododendron elegantulum, a plant which obligingly puts out flowers at all sorts of odd times throughout the year to surprise us, is starting into its main spring display with the opening of rich pink buds, fading to a sweet blush pink.
Rhododendron thompsonii collected by Ron McBeath, tends to suffer from the fierce winds we usually get a s its flowers are opening, resulting in that interesting phenomenon, "Hedgeius privetus rhododrendriflora" ;) as all the large, blood red flowers get blown into the privet hedge behind the plant. I though it wise to take this flower indoors to show you . :-X
On the smaller end of the scale are the charming hybrid, R. 'Ptarmigan' with its clusters of white flowers, this is another plant which is obliging with its gift of extra flowers in the late summer.
The smallest offering today is from R. lapponicum parviflorum, Japanese form.
A couple of shots of all four together, to give you an idea of relative scale.
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Maggi, that's nice seeing you coming out of the (BD) shade with your favourite plants. ;)
I remember having Ptarmigan many years in our retail list, because I wanted many people should have this in their gardens.
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Thank you , Luit ;)
I agree that R. ' Ptarmigan ' is an excellent garden plant. For those who do not know it, this is a hybrid, made by Peter Cox of Glendoick between R. microleucum and R. leucapsis. The flowers are a good size in relation to the foliage and the plant makes about 70cms across by 35cms high in 20 years, so it will fit into most gardens...even the small gardens of modern houses! 8)
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I love Rhododendron time. Lovely shots Maggi.
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Rhododendron thompsonii collected by Ron McBeath,
Maggi - Can you tell us more about the history of this McBeath collection and whether or not is hardier than other thomsoniis?
I particlaurly like the forms with a green calyx.
I grow the Ludlow & Sherriff #2847 and it is surprisingly hardy. It promises almost 20 buds this year at 2.7 meters high, slow but worth the wait. It usually blooms in late April or early March so you are far ahead of us, but so is most of the civilized world.
johnw
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Interesting to see 'Ptarmigan' flowering with the others. Here, in the deep south it flowers before any other except `Christmas Cheer,' mid winter.
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Howdy All,
Can't resist inserting a picture of a Rhodo I have flowering here at the moment...... Rhododendron lineariifolia always starts flowering for me in autumn (no idea whether it is supposed to or not, but this is the third year it has done it) then sporadically through winter before it's main flowering in spring. And the plant is only a couple of feet high in an 6 inch pot too. One of those Rhodos that the majority of people who see it would never know that it WAS a Rhodo as it looks so unusual.
Anyway, I hope no-one minds me putting this here in the March Rhodo thread, even though I'm a Southern Hemispherer.
Enjoy.
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Great to see your R. linearifolia, Paul. 8)
John, the R. thomsonii McBeath form is McB. 1279 seed.... but I cannot remember/find any further details.
Can't even remember how old it is now....about twenty years or so :-\ .......sorry, my record keeping is almost non-existant :-[ :'(
I'll drop Ron an email and ask if he recalls details....
The plant is a handsome thing, the bark is a good colour and leaves persist for over two years, mostly. Only problem is that flower pedicels are VERY brittle when the flowers first emerge and if strong winds hit at that time then all the flowers can be blown off. If they escape that, however, and can open fully without high winds, then the flowers are large, deep red and long-lasting. They have a small red calyx, rather than the large green calyx often seen on other forms.
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Paul I don't know much about R. linearifolium but when I was in the Blue Mountains last April, Don Schofield's large plant was in full bloom so I guess it must be autumn-flowering. Oh to be in Aussie, now that autumn's here, to paraphrase someone. :)
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Maggi Nice to see some rhodos beginning to flower even if this weekend will finish of the flowers. Here are a couple of mine R calophytum with its large leaves and its unusial flowers. This ones new foliage is in my opinion as good as the flowers and R arboreum Schilling? well that was on the label and Tony Schilling is well known in the world of Rhodos. Whether this is a true name or a selection that originated from him I am not sure but a nice deep pink and the usual nice leaves and plant shape - about 8 ft after 25 years.
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Ian, two very smart plants you have there. I adore the calophytum flowers... like ice cream sundaes! 8)
I'm hoping that the weather won't be too bad, though the last two days have been pretty cold here... never got above 1 degree on Tuesday, though it was slightly better today.... my R. pachysanthum is just opening :-\ :P :-\
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Smashing calophytums Ian.
I hope the weather co-operates and you don't get the 36 hour windstorm we had here the past few days.
johnw
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R. calophytum is a true beauty Ian ! Any chance of producing a picture of the whole plant ??
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That calophyum is beautiful!! Love the flower and foliage combination. Another one I haven't seen before, or at least don't recall anyway.
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Smashing calophytums Ian.
I hope the weather co-operates and you don't get the 36 hour windstorm we had here the past few days.
johnw
If it's moving East John we are sure to get it early next week!
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Very windy here all day and rain moving in now, too. :P
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Very windy here all day and rain moving in now, too. :P
Drizzle here (the sort that wets you through!), grey, cold, miserable and breezy. Worse to come for Easter and possibly a bit of snow on Sunday.
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I do hope that forecast has got it wrong :-\ .... Dunblane (Stirling) Show on Saturday and then Ian is broadcasting live from our garden 8) into the Beechgrove Potting Shed radio programme on Sunday :o
Not going to be much fun in a blizzard :( :o
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Maggi my pacysanthum is nowhere near thank god - not many flowers anyway.
Luc the plant only has 3 flowers this year but when the new foliage comes I will post a photo to show the beauty of its new growth - it looks like a giant candelabra.
The met office forecast for Monday night gives -3 just enough to ruin the flowers and just when my Endsleigh Pink is coming into full flower.Hope I have enough fleece and I hope the forecast is wrong
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To hell with the fleece, Ian, get out there with the duvet off your bed! :-X Sometimes sacrifices just have to be made, y'know!
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Maggi Pam wouldn't stand for the duvet being used something about not being reasonable I think ??? so I used the fleece instead. Here is the proof and the flowers seem OK. I first saw this rhodo as a feature near the exit of Bodnat garden it was a specimen of 15 plus ft and covered in these pink flowers in late March and early april - a dangerous time for rhodos
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Great that your efforts have protected those pretty flowers. I took no such measures :-[ and this is the price I've paid :P.....
Some damage on some Rhododendron elegantulum flowers, but not on all, some are still half decent, bless 'em!
Rhododendron pachysanthum, in contrast, is utterly wrecked; buds full of promise will never open and the earliest flowers are ruined.... :'(
Little Rh. lapponicum parviflorum is made of sterner stuff and still looks good 8)
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Maggi very sad :( I'm sure you had it colder than us because I'm not sure that my efforts made a lot of difference it didn't get down to the temperatures they forecast. Calophytum looks a little brown on top in spite of my efforts but it's not yet finished so maybe it was a little help. There are usually too many to cover up anyway :-[. But isn't it great when it works 8)
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It was only down to minus 6 degrees, Ian, so it could have been worse. Luckily most of the rhodos are going slowly this year so not too much damage to others in bud etc.
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Maggi,
Love rhododendrons, and R. pachysanthum is one of my fav species. You have such a good taste! ;)
(BTW: our pachysanthum plant was sadly stolen and needs to be replaced :P)
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Today I visited Kilmacurragh Arboretum in Co. Wicklow, Ireland, which is a satellite garden for the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. Among the many interesting plants was the following Rhododendron arboreum subsp delavayi. Seed of this plant was collected in China by Abbe Delavayi and sent to Kew Gardens in London. From there seed was sent to Glasnevin Botanic Gardens which was one of the 'Royal' Botanic Gardens at that time. The seed was germinated and one plant was sent to Kilmacurragh, then home of the Acton family. This was done because the soil at Glasnevin is not suitable for growing rhododendrons and it was sent to the Acton family because they were great friends of the then Director of the Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, Sir Frederick Moore. The plant thrived there and was the first plant of R. arboreum subsp delavayi to flower outside China. These photographs are of that original plant. Do remember that Abbe Delavayi sent his seed to Kew around 1884 so that you realise the age of the plant in question - yes, this is the original plant, the very first one to ever flower outside China. I was amazed to see it.
To anyone visiting Ireland with an interest in trees and rhododendrons I highly recommend a visit to Kilmacurragh. Today, I had the pleasure of the company of the Head Gardener, Seamus O Brien, for a three hour tour of the garden. It was almost a case of information overload but such wonderful information!
Paddy
The first few photographs show some necessary pruning done on the rhododendron after a beech tree fell on it some years back but, as you will see, it survives and it growing well.
Paddy
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Paddy,
Such a privilege to see that very first plant!: looks very healthy and still going strong, despite that accident. Most interesting post and great pictures too. Many thanks!
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Fascinating story Paddy - The Rhododendron is a very good looking elderly Lady ! 8)
Thanks very much for sharing it. ;)
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Interesting stuff Paddy, another gardenI must visit.
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Paddy, this is REAL Plant History: Wonderful!