Finally, a beautiful day. I did not need a jacket although it was still quite breezy. I escaped the office and went around campus location scouting. The Rhodos are almost at their peak and when students begin returning next week, I intend to hijack several of them to work into my Rhodo/campas images. The motto around our office is: "Buildings without bodies look lonely."

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 21, 2008, 10:25PM

Posted by Marie Freeman Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2008-05-22, 06:40:03

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Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay is adding a new rhododendron to its plant collection. The new cultivar, 'Margaret S. Coe', is named for the daughter-in-law of William Robertson Coe, the insurance magnate and former owner of Planting Fields. The certificate of International Registration just came in from the Royal Horticultural Society in the U.K. . . .

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Posted by Jessica Damiano Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2008-05-17, 06:11:50

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In the rhododendron world there are several different categories of plants. Large leafed plants, small leafed plants, those who keep all of their leaves, some of their leaves and even loose their leaves in the winter. There are those that flower very early in spring and those that flower well into summer.

You could with some careful planning have a rhod...

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 13, 2008, 1:00AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2008-05-14, 06:10:31

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Another garden combination that I've grown to like, is pale lavender rhododendrons with hostas that have a lot of creamy white on their leaves. The two seem to each soften and complement the other, and the hostas planted around the "skirts" of the rhododendrons, cover their bare legs nicely... pictured is a new bed from last spring. Now add some primroses, and a bunch of early spring bulbs like crocuses and snowdrops, a half dozen lilies for late summer bloom, squeeze in a couple of hellebores, and have the whole bed invaded by bluebells, blue squills, and lamium, and you've pretty much got a typical mature flower bed from my garden. . . .

reBlogged to rhododendron hosta

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to hosta, rhododendron on 2008-03-13, 00:03:33

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While we were in Mexico, here in Iowa almost two feet of wet, heavy snow fell in one day, which has subsequently (in combination with the deep snow already on the ground) turned into two feet of near-ice. When I was finally able to pry one of the garden gates open, to go look around, most of the rhododendrons were nowhere to be seen; they were flattened under all the snow, and are now entombed in ice, pinned down and frozen to the ground. I don't think this is going to end well...

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Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron, weather on 2008-03-04, 18:16:27

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This past weekend I was excited to see that the buds on my rhododendrons are starting to swell up. That usually means that spring is on it's way but as I'm typing this post, we're in the middle of a winter weather advisory in New York/New Jersey. It seems that after getting an inch or two of snow today, it has decided that ice should fall from the sky for the rest of the night. . . .

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Posted by Anthony Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2008-02-14, 06:11:23

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Rhododendron April Rose is one of those "sunglasses" shrubs; extraordinarily bright raspberry mauve flowers cover this twiggy, four foot tall plant. It is one of the earliest lepidote rhododendrons to bloom in our garden, and really lights things up. It is a cross between R. mucronulatum, carolinianum, and dauricum, and is a Mehlquist hybrid. I've never completely decided if I'm madly in love with it or don't care for it... on the downside, its color is hard to match up with the rest of the spring garden, it is kind of twiggy, with leaves that don't look the best after a hard winter, and it blooms so early it sometimes gets completely nailed by late freezes. On the upside, the individual flowers really are rose-like, it is covered every spring with flowers even after sub-zero winters, and it certainly does brighten up the early spring garden on gloomy days. I think it might benefit by being combined with one of the early very pale pink or blush white rhodys to tone it down a little... or, I could just wear sunglasses.

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Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2008-02-05, 06:50:46

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Summer Blooming Azalea
Rhododendron ‘Golden Showers’

I am always surprised that more people don’t grow these wonderful plants. At least a couple always sneak into any garden I design and build, since they are a fantastic way to extend the Azalea season. Their fragrant and colorful blooms come at a time in the garden when I can use the color. Here is a link and excerpt from a page describing these plants. . .

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Posted by Digital Flower Pictures Reblogged by Old Roses to azalea, rhododendron on 2007-07-10, 06:49:00

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Posted by Nickie Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-05-28, 01:12:34

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Rhododendron 'Dexter's Spice'

The Rhododendron Collection is really starting to bloom. I worked most of the day sprucing up the plants and planting some of the new ones (see list below). I loved the way the light played over the flowers and new growth during the day; it was an ever-changing show. I am adding a lot of compost to the beds and fertilizing. I also made a couple of tough choices with the chain saw. Especially in the area that the treetop came down and smashed everything. Besides crushing several Rhododendrons, it sheared a 25-foot Bloodgood Japanese Maple in half. The tree is actually on the mend, it just looks a little funny. A couple of large hybrid Rhodos had been knocked flat and I decided to cut those branches and add some new plants. . . .

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Posted by Digital Flower Pictures Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-05-24, 18:46:32

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                                                              The best thing about a cool spring is that the rhodos hold their color well.  Nothing worse than a sun faded rhodo.  Tonight was quiet in the garden.  I forced myself to be still.  Just sit and listen to the birds and other noises.  It is so easy not to be still.  I find I have to make a concious effort to relax.  It was nice.  I managed about ten minutes and then the light was pretty and I grabbed my camera.

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 23, 2007, 12:02AM

Posted by sandy Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-05-23, 18:27:05

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Double Flowered PJM Rhododendron Hybrid
Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Pink Diamond’

I have been cleaning off some of my Compact Flash cards so I can shoot some new pictures. Lately I have been picking the photos I want right off the card with Adobe Bridge®. It is a good program once you get used to it but every once in a while my cards get filled up. Today’s plant is from the Estate’s Rhododendron Collection and this picture was taken April 25th. The plant was purchased at Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton, Mass., about 10 years ago. A lot of the plants in the garden came from Weston Nurseries. . . .

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Posted by Digital Flower Pictures Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-05-23, 06:26:09

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what does a shrub full of these look like?


like this!

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Posted by Jen Reblogged by Old Roses to azalea, rhododendron on 2007-05-22, 18:42:43

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Which is it? Is it a rhododendron or an azalea? Can we start by saying that all azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas? Well, yes.
My husband asked me what the difference was when I identified a blooming shrub as an azalea on the way home from church this morning. I couldn't give him a really definitive answer, and copped out by saying my understanding was that azaleas were deciduous, and a rhododendron is an evergreen. I really was unsure though, so when I got home I looked it up and here are some of the things I found out. . . .

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Posted by North Country Maturing Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to azalea, rhododendron on 2007-05-15, 18:31:44

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We bought this white Rhododendron at a American Rhododendron Society sale. It was off to the side of the main selling area and was unnamed, only described as white in color. It turned out to be quite a beautiful white rhodie with the barest hint of pink. Even though it was in an exposed location it managed to survive the constant winter winds without dessication. The rabbit also survived the winter intact.

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Posted by Ki Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-05-02, 00:47:08

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Amongst the bright pinks and mauves of the early lepidote rhododendrons, Mary Fleming is easy on the eyes: Rarefind Nursery describes it as bisque yellow and pink, which certainly sounds yummy. It grows about four feet high and wide, with very small leaves, and is covered with flowers in the spring.

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Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-04-25, 23:20:15

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Since you're already (hopefully) taking my advice, and trying the hardy primroses I've just posted about, you'll want a nice shrub to plant them under, to give them a little shade; a shrub that likes loose, moist soil just like the primroses. May I suggest rhododendron Olga Mezitt (sometimes just labelled as "Olga")? It is from the same background as the famous PJM, being a later cross of R. minus Carolinianum X dauricum, and was hybridized by the same nursery (Weston). It blooms just as PJM is going over, so carries on the season, and is thus less likely to have its flowers damaged by a hard freeze. . . .

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Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-03-01, 23:37:24

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How and when should I prune my rhododendron? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

reBlogged to rhododendron pruning on Feb 13, 2007, 11:00PM

Posted by The Old Farmer's Almanac Reblogged by Old Roses to pruning, rhododendron on 2007-02-14, 22:59:19

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Okay, I admit it. The title of this post was a geeky attempt at bad botany humor. As I observed my poor cold rhodie do its best impersonation of a needled evergreen, the words Rhododendron Pinifolius popped into my head. I giggled at the thought of making a tongue-in-cheek post to describe the rare pineleaf rhododendron, only observed on special days in the coldest of winters... yes, I'm sure that the cold was getting to me. . .

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Posted by Blackswamp_Girl Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-02-08, 00:03:35

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One of the world's rarest plants is to be unveiled at the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) in Edinburgh.

Visitors to the glasshouses will be able to see a Malaysian rhodedendron, thought to be the only remaining example of the species in the world. The plant is one of several threatened species held in the RBG living plants collection, which curators hope will help inspire Scottish gardeners. . .

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Posted by MrBrownThumb Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2007-01-11, 23:54:36

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In walking about the garden on the shortest day of the year, a day of fog and shadows, the lepidote rhododendrons continue to be interesting to look at, with a variety of leaves and plant habits. One of the finest in terms of habit is Rhododendron Faisa; it's winter foliage is shown in the top picture, its spring flowering in the lower picture. . . .

reBlogged to rhododendron on Dec 22, 2006, 2:18AM

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-12-22, 22:46:51

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The birds in the deep back ravine were having a chirpathon, perhaps to celebrate our continued mild weather, as I walked along the edge with my camera this morning. I wasn't looking for birds though; I wanted to take a picture of the flower buds on rhododendron Mary Fleming. The bud scales are bright, rosy red, giving this little plant a cheerful, jaunty appearance in winter. . . .

reBlogged to rhododendron on Dec 16, 2006, 11:12AM

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-12-16, 22:57:28

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Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-12-16, 22:57:02

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Posted by carletongardener Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-07-16, 11:38:33

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Posted by carletongardener Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-07-14, 23:23:51

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Rhododendron "Valentine"
I think that is it amazing that even though one may be growing and collecting plants for many years, that one can still stumble upon an entire genus that few others are growing, and one that offers so many varieties and choices, and so it is with the Vireya section within the genus Rhododendron. Of the 900 species within Rhododendron, 300 are Vireyas. . .

reBlogged to rhododendron on Jul 2, 2006, 8:38PM

Posted by Matt Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-07-04, 15:33:47

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OK - so I can't grow one this big in my cold USDA zone 5 garden. This fact of nature doesn't stop me from admiring this big fella sitting on the UBC campus.

Offhand, I'd say it was about 15 feet tall and 25 wide.

But you know - all that colour gets rather tiresome after a while. (insert chuckle here)

reBlogged to rhododendron on Jun 5, 2006, 7:32AM

Posted by Doug Green Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-06-05, 23:32:10

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Lavender Rhododendron 

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 25, 2006, 1:00AM

Posted by Beverly Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-25, 23:47:42

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Rhododendron 'Trinidad' grows in a shady nook just across the bridge in the ravine. 

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 24, 2006, 8:02PM

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-25, 23:46:50

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Plant her in your garden, but she's not going into mine!

Several days ago, I was horrified when the first of five rhododendrons I'd ordered from A. Sandy three years ago finally bloomed.  Initially, the blooms appeared to be magenta, and I was certain that only a grisly mix-up at the nursery could explain such a thing.  Because God knows, as a former Jersey girl, I am just about as likely to order magenta rhododendrons as I am to become best friends with Carmela Soprano and spend three afternoons a week with her at the Riverside Square Mall. . . .

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 23, 2006, 3:02PM

Posted by signoftheshovel Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-24, 11:41:32

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Pink Rhodo

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 23, 2006, 1:57PM

Posted by Sandy Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-23, 23:27:46

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On the first late spring day that gives a hint of summer, with a blue sky and a warm breeze, the garden is also starting to turn over to summer, with bearded iris in bloom, and the lepidote rhododendrons of spring have given over to the lushness of the large-leafed elepidote rhodys. This is 'Peter Behring', with bright pink blooms.

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 23, 2006, 12:18PM

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-23, 23:16:31

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Mrs Furnival and Choisya ternata'Aztec Pearl'

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 22, 2006, 11:20AM

Posted by Sandy Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-23, 11:06:44

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Rhodo in Mirror

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 22, 2006, 11:21AM

Posted by Sandy Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-22, 23:32:51

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Sometimes you have to destroy your yard to make it look better. When we bought our home 5 years ago, the 1/2 acre suburban property was made up of giant overgrown hedges, shrubs, trees and lots of other wild looking things. No one had lived in the house for the previous 6 months but I don't think that anyone ventured into the yard even when people were living there. The nicest part of our property at the time were these giant rhododendrons. . . .

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 18, 2006, 11:44AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-18, 23:46:56

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This Rhododendron is just starting to open. Within a week or two, all of my rhodos should be blooming. And not only will the yard will look great but that also means it’s time to get my tomato plants in the ground.

I always wait until the rhododendron bloom before setting my seed starts outside. Nighttime lows have been in the 50ies lately so I think they should be fine.

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 10, 2006, 4:30PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-11, 02:02:10

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We did a bad thing this weekend. We went to a ARS chapter sale. What's ARS? American Rhododendron Society. Sadly but not uncharacteristically we went crazy and bought a few... well, many different cultivars - they were all so beautiful. . .

reBlogged to rhododendron on May 1, 2006, 9:31AM

Posted by Ki Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-05-01, 23:28:12

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Lepidote Rhododendron Hindsight is unusual in that the foliage is almost as large as an elepidote. 

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-04-23, 09:47:38

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Rhododendron Lavender Frost is well named, with a slight lavender haze on its white flowers.

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to rhododendron on 2006-04-17, 18:00:38

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Rhodendron vaseyi
Pinkshell Azalea
height:  mid-hgt shrub--4-8 ft & width 4-7 ft
zones:  5-8; sun - lt shade

Gertrude, the Gardener Before Me, planted an abundance of shrubs around the property I live at today.  Spring does unfold before my eyes and that is thanks to Gertrude and her love of plants.  Mind you, we