Agapetes
R. lanigerum
Large rounded evergreen shrubs with pale tomentose branches. The dark and shiny leaves have a woolly whitish to fawn indumentum on their undersides. The flowers emerge from the most amazing-looking large buds in early spring. The fuzzy overlapping scales of the buds give the appearance of some strange small pineapple and provide a great show […]
R. veitchianum
Large and vigorous, but often compact-growing shrubs with smooth and shiny reddish brown bark. The large fragrant flowers are white, often with a yellow blotch and typically frilled or wavy along the outer part of the lobes. Quite variable in terms of blooming season and requiring excellent drainage. Native to S Burma, Laos, Thailand and […]
R. strigillosum
One of the finest species in the genus. Very large, deep red flowers with black nectar pouches in early spring. The leaves are stunning – deep green in color and quite long with very bristly petioles and margins. A superb foliage plant with equally impressive flowers. This species is best in shade to light shade […]
R. beanianum
Rounded evergreen shrubs with ascending bristly branches. Very attractive foliage, shiny and rugulose on the upper surface, with a thick cinnamon brown indumentum on the lower. The fleshy bell-shaped flowers (late winter to mid-spring) are deep red or scarlet to carmine. One of the first species to bloom in the garden each year. This species […]
Mother’s Day Feature : R. williamsianum
Rhododendron williamsianum is one of the finest, easiest and most attractive of all species. Rounded leaves, bronzy new growth and delicate rose, bell-shaped flowers on this form from the collection at Caerhays. Easy in sun or shade and relatively drought tolerant once established, this is one of the best all-around species for general garden […]
Species R. agastum
Attractive early-blooming evergreen shrubs with pale to deep rose flowers. The flowers are pale to deep pink or sometimes white flushed pink but always blotched and usually spotted. Recent field work has proven that this
Species R. aberconwayi
Stiffly upright shrubs with broadly lanceolate, rigid and shiny leaves. The showy white flowers (late spring to early summer) are almost flat in shape with reddish flecks. A distinct and easily grown species with unusual stiff foliage and saucer-shaped flowers late in the season. Only known from a few mountains in NE Yunnan where it […]
Species R. adenogynum
Broadly upright but compact-growing evergreen shrubs. The leaves have a distinctive spongy to somewhat woolly yellowish to greenish brown indumentum on the undersides. The flowers (mid-spring) are white to rose or rose-purple, often with purple or brownish spots. A free-flowering and relatively easily grown member of this subsection with outstanding foliage. Native to China (SE […]
Species R. barbatum
Large evergreen shrubs or small trees with an upright, well-branched habit and beautiful exfoliating reddish to purple bark. The dark green leaves typically have a bristly petiole and are quite attractive against the colorful flowers and bark. The brilliant red to crimson or scarlet flowers (very early to mid-spring) are in a dense round inflorescence. […]
Species R. cephalanthum ssp. cephalanthum
Dwarf and compact to prostrate evergreen shrubs with small oval and fragrant scaly foliage. The small, narrowly tubular flowers (mid-spring) have spreading lobes and are reminiscent of the flowers of a daphne. They range in color from white to deep rose or yellow and occur in a rounded or sometimes flat-topped inflorescence. A choice and […]
Species R. ciliatum
Low-growing compact evergreen shrubs with reddish brown peeling bark. The large funnel-shaped flowers are white or white flushed pink in early to mid-spring. The distinct and attractive glossy foliage is elliptic in shape with long hairs on the upper surface and fringing the margin. Tolerant of alkaline soil and fairly drought tolerant once established. Often […]
Species R. catacosmum
Compact evergreen shrubs, typically as wide as tall. The leaves are quite large for this group and obovate in shape. The thin silvery indumentum on the upper surface is relatively persistent and a thick pale brown indumentum covers the lower surface. The flowers (mid-spring) are bell-shaped with a fleshy texture and range in color from […]
Unique foliage – Rhododendron taxifolium
Here’s a photo of Rhododendron taxifolium, a recent introduction into cultivation from its only known native locale on a single mountaintop on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It’s considered an extremely endangered species due to human activities and may now be extinct in the wild. See it thriving in the Rutherford Conservatory, not […]
Species Profile: R. vernicosum
Rhododendron vernicosum is a member of the popular and widely grown group of related species known as subsection Fortunea (Fortunei Series). This subsection includes such familiar species as sutchuenense, calophytum, orbiculare, decorum, fortunei, oreodoxa, and griffithianum. Although less well known and not as common in gardens as these other deservedly popular species, R. vernicosum can […]
Species Profile: R. triflorum
The majority of the 30 or so rhododendrons introduced by Joseph Hooker from his 1848-1850 expedition to Sikkim have become well known and, at least in species collections, widely grown. Showy and impressive species such as thomsonii, arboreum, niveum, maddenii, edgeworthii, falconeri, hodgsonii, griffithianum, campanulatum, barbatum, and cinnabarinum gained the widespread attention and admiration of […]