Rhododendron... every garden should have some

[TC]

Mindful of the weather forecast, I rushed out in the rain and wind to take a few pictures of plants in flower before the searing gale force cold winds and frost turn the flowers into versions of Kleenex.  At 1600 I needed a  flashgun to get some light but focussing was near impossible with the plants whipping about.  However, for what its worth, here is Rhododendron cilipense tucked away in a sheltered plot.
I purchased it from Ardkinglas Nurseries, on Loch Fyne about two years ago, it seems to be thriving, but thinks that February is Spring - wrong !!

[johngennard]

Maggie,two great minds think alike,I too decided that I ought to get some pictures before the flowers are turned to pulp.In fact I think that there are slight signs of damage on the Hokkaido hybrid which would have been from a ground frost a few nights ago.Obviously due the leucaspis blood.I only purchased these plants in Oct.2006.
    Rhododendron Hokkaido.jpg
    Rhododendron Hokkaido x leucaspis sanderling.jpg
    Rhododendron racemosum.jpg
    Rhododendron Ostara.jpg

[Maggi Young]

I thought the fabulous display on the Rhododendron thomsoni McBeath's form andon R. cilpinense was too good to last.... fierce winds, driving sleet and snow have battered the thomsonii to smithereens and the cilpinense is looking pretty sorry for itself. Such is life!

R. thomsoni, more flowers off than on






R. cilpinense, flowers turning to mush


click pix to enlarge

[Maggi Young]

There is some good news, of course, there always is:
Here is Rhododendron pachysanthum opening it flowers, though not so many this year as usual:

In the far left, see the Rhododendron elegantulum, covered in buds
Rh. pachysanthum flowerhead and leaves, rather chewed by Vine weevils. leaves

The flowers are really lovely, though fading as they age




This is Rhododendron elegantulum a super plant which gives good out of season flowers, too.



again the flowers fade with age




R. elegantulum young leaves (with Corydalis) from later in the season

[David Nicholson]

Lovely pictures Maggi-ah! if only I had more room in the garden.

[johngennard]

Maggie,I seem to remember you mentioning Snow Lady and not having a digital picture to show.Here's one I took today.

[Maggi Young]

Ah, John, thank you, the very plant! Pretty, isn't she?

[Joakim B]

Hi
Very nice picture every one
We have here had a lot of blooms on the "azaleas" as they are called in Swedish and the name is the same in Portugal with a slightly different pronaunciation.
Now some of they ones that have bloomed are starying to loose the flowers and gain the foliage, there are still some that is about to bloom.
I think they are all garden center varities with no (or atleast lost) name.
Here is an overview of the inbetween blooming.
This one in perticular is nice big plant with nice flowers. A pot fits EVERYWHERE so the motto of the headline is true.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Maggi Young]

Joakim, thank you for proving what I say: every garden should have... and CAN have some! They are happy to grow in pots as anywhere else. Wonderful plants, the whole family!

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi John, Maggi
I guess the breeder named that white rhodie for his mother-in-law.
?
?
?
?
?
y'know
?
"Who was that lady I saw you with last night?"
"That wa Snow Lady, that was my mother-in-law!"
(Apologies to Henny Youngman.... and mothers-in-law)
Sorry, a bad pun that I've always liked but hadn't had a chance to use till now.
cheers
fermi

[TC]

As the weather looked set fair yesterday, we decided it was a good day to have a look at Benmore and Crarae gardens.  Things were starting to move at both gardens with Crarae about 7/10 days behind Benmore.  Bearing in mind that Benmore is more concerned with species Rhododendrons, some of which need a botanist to point out the differences, I sat out t o photograph everything with a flower on it.  This was a bad move as after 4 hours of trying to fit in pictures and then find the plant labels, I had had enough.  We reckon that we must have covered about 1200 feet of ascent going up to the top of the hill, descending, up and down again, in search of plants in flower.  My systematic approach of photographing the plant and then its label did not work out as my computer program sorted them out in a different order, sometimes separating them by 12 pictures.  Tonight I will have to work out what is what.
On our way back we stopped at the Creggans Inn on Loch Fyne for a bar supper - highly recommended.
Some general pictures before I sort out the Rhodies.

[Maggi Young]

Some rhodos from our garden:
Another of R. elegantulum... no apologies for showing it again, it is one of my favourites!!


Elegantulum in the background with R. pachysanthum looking a bit frosted in some flowers


The fat bud on R. tsariense x yakushimanum


R. 'Cilpininese' with frost-mushed flowers


The ever-reliable little hybrid, R. 'Ptarmigan'


Another of the Coxes 'bird-named' hybrids, only had this one a year or two, is R. 'Pintail'. It is a bit straggly in growth.

and a closer view of the flowers. Obviously has  R. racemosum in the parentage.

[Maggi Young]

 close-up of R. 'Ptarmigan' flowers



Some flower buds
R. tsariense x yakushimanum



R. rex fictolacteum bud



R, roxianum oreonastes foliage


R. taliense x lacteum bud

[Maggi Young]

Still one or two good flowers on the weather battered R. thomsoni McBreath:


A flower head of R. pachysanthum

[Maggi Young]

There are some yellow rhodos offering colour, too.

This is R. Yellowhammer, a plant which has small flowers but makes quite a tall plant in time. Almost never without a flower at any time of year, and good for "forcing" for a cut flower with real panache for your Christmas table!!


A shot of a branch of R. 'Yellowhammer'



This is Rhododendron sulfureum. Hairy plant, nice bark, dark mahogany, peeling. Super aromatic leaves, whole flower head, pedicels, sticky, you can see the pores etc