Jens Birck's rhododendron albums

[johnw]

As winter drags on  I can highly recommend the rhododendron pictures on the Picasa site. All are photographed and posted by Jens Birck of Copenhagen.  Many are in his own garden and others from the garden of his friend Svend Hansen in Kernehuset. 
Just click on each Album to open up an array of exquisitely grown rhododendrons. It's difficult to pick a favourite but the Taliensia album is certainly a treat.


http://picasaweb.google.dk/birck.denmark   or   www.picasaweb.google.dk/birck.denmark

Hopefully the hyperlink function is working. otherwise it's copy & paste. Enjoy.

johnw (newbie)
coastal Nova Scotia
Z6

[Maggi Young]

Friends, John gave me this link yesterday and I  too can highly recommend it. Great quality pictures of my favourite plants...... makes me very jealous really.  Odd that John should make  note of the segment dealing with rhodos of the Taliensia .... this was where I was immediatley drawn as these plants are among my favourite species..... cannot tell you what it did to my blood pressure to see fine pix of FLOWERS on the likes of R. pronum and R. protiodes...... real flowers and fat buds. Bliss, I tell you!!
Fab variety in R. bureavii...... a rhodo that everyone should try to have in their garden, it is just the best all rounder.... there are few plants that can react with different light conditions to such spectacular effect. 
Seek out this wonderful set of photos from this Danish whizz.... and when does the next plane leave for Danmark 

[johnw]

Maggi - You have impeccable taste! I too am a Tailensia fan - all those wonderful new shoots.

The Lepidote album  is a treat as well. You will see a yellow campylogynum in the top right row. This was grown by a Dane from AGS-ACE seed. I found a picture of it on the Internet and alerted Jens to it. He went down to visit the grower and he gave him the plant!

The cinnabarinums and its hybrids are spectacular. Jens says when he first went to England he was enthralled by them and bought one of each that he could find. He crossed them and the originals were killed the first winter out. From the seedlings however he got ones hardy for Copenhagen. His hybrid 'What A Dane' may be available through Glendoick, I forget the parentage at the moment - maybe (ambiguum x concatenans) x Nepal. If Jens is monitoring maybe he can help out.

johnw
Nova Scotia
Z6

[Maggi Young]

I have given up on the cinnabarinums... they are gorgeous but very prone to powdery mildew and so I was brave and burned them 

Never met a campylogynum I didn't like....

[Maggi Young]

Jens Birck was himself trying to access the site last night ( unsuccessfully because of site server problems) to post these superb photos of rhodo hybrids which he says are about 9 feet high..around 2.7m
I think you will agree that they are full of flower and it is my pleaseure to postthem on behalf of Jens...
The first plant is a single plant of.....
R. 'What a Dane' ----- =(ambiguum x concatenans) x cinnabarinum v. breviforme Nepal AM


Jens tells me that "another good one here" ( Copenhagen)  is  R.   " Biskra"


Many thanks to Jens for sharing these photos of these truly handsome plants with us!

[Maggi Young]

Here is a close up of 'What a Dane' .....



what a Dane, indeed!
John Weagle in Nova Scotia tells me that these plants are growing well over there, too. 

[Maggi Young]

Jens says these are the heaviest ever flowerings on these very showy plants which he considers a good substitute for R. cinnabarinum ...... I can't disagree with that!!

[johnw]

Maggi - Biskra has done well outdoors here in coastal Nova Scotia for a number of years.  What A Dane however has only seen its first winter this past one but sailed through with flying colours.  We have great hopes for it. On the other hand R. cinnabarinum selections for the most part have been decimated by their first winter outdoors here - no matter mild or frigid.

What A Dane is one spectacular hybrid created by the master - Mr. Birck!

johnw

[David Nicholson]

Wow!! Some plants.

[ian mcenery]

The cinnarbarinum looks super like a more compact Lady Chamberlain