Rhododendrons 2014

[Robert]

Fruit crop doing very nicely, Robert - please don't tell me you grow great figs too or I'll have to cry.

I can't get over how early your R.  fortunei and  R. decorum are flowering compared to here. Two of the most lovely species are they not?

Maggi,

I regret to tell you that I do grow figs, maybe not as many as my grandfather. He grew over 100 acres of figs!    And they must be good because the customers start lining up at our farm stand at 6:30 am to buy our fruit. I am nice about it though, I start selling at 7:00 even though the market does not open til 8:00. I market manager does not mind, I guess it is one of the perks of being one of the old timers. 

I did breed a golden orange cherry tomato that I call "Freya's Tears". Remember, Freya's tears turned to gold. 

The good news for us is that we will have enough water for me to continue some of the vegetable breeding projects I've been working on. 
I guess none of this has anything to do with rock gardening or rhododendrons, so ..........

Yes, our blooming season starts early, and ends late. I hope that I'm not too busy with the farm season to show the 'Summer of Love' deciduous azaleas I've been working on. Little, dwarf, deciduous azaleas that bloom in either late June, July, or August. For me, hot stuff.  Hot colors, fragrance, and whatever else I like. I think that I'm getting long winded and there is fruit to thin.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Rhododendron formosanum.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Rhododendron niveum. The colour rendition does not do justice to the plant!

[Roma]

Rhododendrons were looking good a few days ago but 1 degree of frost last night finished off Rh. 'Phalarope'.  Trichostomum and hippophaeoides are only slightly damaged.
Rhododendron 'Phalarope'
Rhododendron hippophaeoides 'Haba Shan'
Rhododendron hippophaeoides Yu 13845
Rhododendron trichostomum

[Maggi Young]

'Tweeted' by Al Elliott :

"A seed grown living Rhododendron horlickianum from Francis Kingdon-Ward 1931 Type collection at The Botanics "

[Maggi Young]

'Tweeted' by Al Elliott :

"A seed grown living Rhododendron horlickianum from Francis Kingdon-Ward 1931 Type collection at The Botanics "

   The story : http://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/11296

[johnralphcarpenter]

A few flowering now:

Rhododendron yakushimanum 'Silver Sixpence'
Rhododendron 'Bow Bells'
Rhododendron 'Ruby Hart'
Rhododendron 'Curlew'
Rhododendron 'Ptarmigan'.

[David Nicholson]

Lovely Rhododendron folks, they seem really good this year.

Hear's my 'hardy annual' bought quite a few years ago now for 50p and looking like a stray twig. Difficult to put a name to it but Maggi goes for 'Blue Tit' and JohnW goes for 'Blue Diamond'. I'm happy with either.

[Robert]

#1 A good R. flammeum.

#2 R. atlanticum with blue columbine. A good combination that came by chance!

#3 A seedling that showed up a few years ago with a very interesting color. The original plant is too tall for my liking so now it is being bred to be dwarf, the easy part. When that is finished cleaning up the truss into something I like could be a challenge.

[Robert]

The R.occidentale hybrids are blooming down at our Sacramento Valley garden

as well as a few late blooming Exbury types.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Bought from Jamie Taggart, Rhododendron rigidum YUN 95 173.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Rhododendron Loderi Group 'Pink Diamond' and Rhododenron 'Ems' (or possibly 'EMS')

[Maggi Young]

Bought from Jamie Taggart, Rhododendron rigidum YUN 95 173.

Still no news of Jamie Taggart - his father is appealing for better support from Ministers and  the Foreign Office - see more here :  http://thelochsidepress.com/2014/04/13/fathers-plea-for-ministers-to-be-pressured-over-mystery-disappearance-of-jamie-taggart-in-vietnam/

Reading the reply to Dr Taggart from the Foreign Office, one can only hope that the FCO  minion charged with liason with the Vietnamese has  a better grasp of that language than he seems to have of English.

[Robert]

Rhododendron Loderi Group 'Pink Diamond' and Rhododenron 'Ems' (or possibly 'EMS')

Ralph,

Thanks for the Rhodo photos, especially the hybrids - I read about them but never get to see them, even the very common types.

[Maggi Young]

Retweeted by Al Elliott from the RBGE page :
Rhododendron grande in the woodland garden