Rhododendrons 2014

[johnw]

Peter  - A nice find in an unlikely place.  A shot in the dark - prostratum or calostrotum Keleticum Group Rock #58, probably the later as I recall prostratum are downward pointing branchlets..  These species in the Saluenensia are devils to get right.  The taxonomists have scared off gardeners from wading into the i.d. quagmire.  Maggi  - do wade in, I'm up to my neck........

johnw

[Thorkild Godsk]

Rhododendron.
Rhododendron Sutchuenense x giraldii, began to flourish 7 March.

Thorkild-DK

[Maggi Young]

Peter  - A nice find in an unlikely place.  A shot in the dark - prostratum or calostrotum Keleticum Group Rock #58, probably the later as I recall prostratum are downward pointing branchlets..  These species in the Saluenensia are devils to get right.  The taxonomists have scared off gardeners from wading into the i.d. quagmire.  Maggi  - do wade in, I'm up to my neck........

johnw

Crikey, John, I'm an amateur 
 It's a little cracker, Peter - but I'm not sure quite where I'd place it - it's a better form than many of the Keleticum types around here, that's for sure. 

Looking again at Peter's pictures - and what good, 'full' flowers they are -  I don't think I see any hairs on the calyx  or flower so prostratum is a  good enough name  for me.

[johnralphcarpenter]

A cultivar from New Zealand, Rhododendron 'Kaponga'

[johnralphcarpenter]

Crikey, John, I'm an amateur 
 It's a little cracker, Peter - but I'm not sure quite where I'd place it - it's a better form than many of the Keleticum types around here, that's for sure. 

Looking again at Peter's pictures - and what good, 'full' flowers they are -  I don't think I see any hairs on the calyx  or flower so prostratum is a  good enough name  for me.

Given where it was found, isn't it likely to be a cultivar, possibly named after a bird? Or is impeditum out of the question?

[Maggi Young]

Certain it is not impeditum.
 Yes, a cultivar is likely but not sure ( - it is sometimes extraordinary what can turn up in the way of species of any plant at unlikely places!)  so a start must be made on parentage and prostratum seems a good candidate.
I'm not aware of a Glendoick  bird-named hybrid that looks quite like this one of Peter's - but I'm happy to learn otherwise. 

[Diane Clement]

Anyone like to tell me or speculate on what this dwarf Rhododendron is?

Peter your plant looks like R calostrotum 'Gigha', an early flowerer with me.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Peter your plant looks like R calostrotum 'Gigha', an early flowerer with me.

Ah, an island, not a bird!

[Maggi Young]

Peter your plant looks like R calostrotum 'Gigha', an early flowerer with me.

I considered that Diane -  but I don't think it's "right" - have to go out  now, will explain why later if need be! I don't think it is 'Wigeon', either.

[peter hood]

John, Maggi, Ralph, Diane - Thanks for all your help; They did have a plant there labelled impeditum with similar small leaves - but I have grown it before and the flowers don't look at all the same to me. Remember because of the treatment it is probably flowering early. (Wren, subject to the same treatment, flowered a month ago.)

[Robert]

Rhododendron.
Rhododendron Sutchuenense x giraldii, began to flourish 7 March.

Thorkild-DK

Thorkild,

Nice photograph. The garden must be starting to wake-up from its winter rest. Very beautiful. Look forward to seeing more!

[Maggi Young]

Why I don't think it is 'Gigha'  - foliage is too green. Flowers seem truly pinkish, without the red tone that 'Gigha' has. The stamens are pale on Peter's plant and 'Gigha' stamens are quite deeply coloured along their length.
Why I don't think it is 'Wigeon' - it's just not!!!

[johnw]

Diane    - I have to agree with Maggi.  Gigha has rosy pink flowers quite like no other and blue foliage.  Widgeon gets big and the leaves are bigger than those shown as it is a carolinianum hybrid.  Mine is now about .5m x  1m. wide.

Peter  - You might wander through here:

http://glendoick.com/onlinecat/index.php?page=onlinecat&listplants=Rhododendron_Dwarf_Species+&offset=0

Heh, Galanthus nivalis 'Anglesey Abbery and plcatus 'Upcher' are about to open here!

johnw       

[Lesley Cox]

Nice to see R. 'Kaponga' here on the Forum. It's quite old now but still a very good red, at least in NZ conditions and bred by the late Bernie Hollard,  a great Rhodo man and also known locally for a wonderful gold-leaved Acanthus, 'Hollard's Gold.' Kaponga is a small town on the North Island's west coast, and was also, I think the name of Bernie's garden. I only went there once but remember a wonderful collection of choice plants.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Thanks for the info, Lesley. Plants are wonderful, but even more so when you know the full story!