Rhododendron 2011

[ian mcenery]

Here is my first for the year I suppose I can expect a frost now

R moupinense pink form

leucaspis and its hybrid Bric a Brac are almost out

[Maggi Young]

Crikey Ian, that IS early! I think a frost is inevitable... buds on all here are keeping tihght... thank goodness.

Will move this to the Rhodo area for you.....

[Roma]

My first Rhododendrons are coming into flower.  Rhododendron leucaspis lives in the greenhouse over winter and goes outside in the summer.  It is earlier than usual this year. 
Rhododendron 'Praecox' got frosted last year but is looking good this year.

[ian mcenery]

My first Rhododendrons are coming into flower.  Rhododendron leucaspis lives in the greenhouse over winter and goes outside in the summer.  It is earlier than usual this year.  
Rhododendron 'Praecox' got frosted last year but is looking good this year.

Roma my leucaspis is outside but is only just showing white tips in the bud so I hope it will miss the worst . But I am worried about my calophytum which is opening now with the frosts forecast  

[johnw]

Two in flower in the greenhouse:

R. christianae x jasminiflorum

and

R. Dartmoor Rose x mucronulatum v. taguetii (Cheju), first flowering.

johnw

[David Nicholson]

Two in flower in the greenhouse:

R. christianae x jasminiflorum

and

R. Dartmoor Rose x mucronulatum v. taguetii (Cheju), first flowering.

johnw

John, is Dartmoor Rose one of Barry Starling's please?

[johnw]

John, is Dartmoor Rose one of Barry Starling's please?

Indeed it is David. He gave me cuttings when I visited him in 1996 - just down the road from you there in paradise.  It was registered incorrectly in the RHS double volume set but later corrected in aa supplement if I remember correctly.  It is glaucophyllum var. album 'Len Beer' x charitopes ssp. tsangpoense.  

Here it is:

I also crossed it with carolinianum and they more closely resemble Dartmoor Rose.

It's a prolific seed-setter and takes crosses with ease.

johnw

[David Nicholson]

Thanks John. Barry and I are both members of the South Devon AGS Group and I've never been to see his garden. I must have a word with him.

[TC]

Some signs of Spring at last.  Despite two severe Winters. the Rhods. at Culzean seem to have survived unscathed.  In fact, it is one of the better flowering years.  Some pictures attached.  As there are so many hybrids here, un-named, I have not attempted to guess names. 

[Maggi Young]

Pictures to make this old woman very happy, Tom!

[Onion]

One of the first rhododendrons in my area.

Rhododendron dauricum sempervirens

[TC]

Our first visit to Benmore this year.  Left Ayr in sunshine and arrived at Benmore in freezing mist and a temp. of 1c. Quite a few of the larger Rhods. in flower and no obvious damage after two severe Winters.  However, the ground was saturated from rain and thawing snow.  Every year the paths get steeper, the hills get higher and the distances greater !. Signs of Spring were a Woodpecker drumming and Red Squirrels bouncing through the trees. Some pictures taken during a 3 hour walk round as below.
We then went on to the village of Blairmore to a gallery/tea room.  By this time the weather was beautiful  - actually warm without any wind

[TC]

Managed to make a bit of  a mess of the last posting by including things twice and posting before I had finished. I could not name the pictures because it changed them from jpegs to some other format that will not be accepted by this site.  Now, as I write this, I cannot recall the pictures I have already posted
The large Rhod. with Cindy in it is a Hookeri, about 70 years old and the flower should be beneath it. For the last two years this plant has hardly produced any flowers.  This year it has made up for this.  The other Rhods. I took the names of are Oreodoxa, Planetum and Barbatum.
The views were taken next to the little holiday house at Blairmore Pier.  This used to be the ticket office for the Clyde paddle steamers which operated a regular service about 4 times a day.  I can remember as a very young child, fishing for haddocks at this spot.The view with the upturned boat is of the Holy Loch looking North. The snow capped hill to the right is above Benmore Gardens.    Anyway, nothing to do with Rhods. but rather picturesque

659/660---Planetum and flower
005/658-- Oreodoxa and flower
007/666 --Barbatum
013/669---Hookeri

[Tony Willis]

Wonderful pictures from Benmore and Culzean.

Not much moving with the rhododendrons in the garden yet but a small one I keep in a pot is now in flower

Rhododendron cephalanthum crebiflorum

[Hoy]

You have showed lots of goodies folks!

My first rhodo is this one, maybe a moupinense hybrid, from seed several years ago. It is often the first here.