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The Oz Garden Gallery

Rhododendron Tropical Vireya.

11 years ago

First time I have grown one of these delightful plants and this is its first cluster of flowers
Its only about 60cm High so has a lot of growing to do yet..

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Comments (14)

funnelweb
11 years ago
Lovely mistymorn, I've a couple in but they're suffering a bit from the dryness; just won't rain!
B.
inga007
11 years ago
Lovely blooms, hope it does well for you.
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Aloha, Vireya are not difficult to grow except at first, till you get to know them. There is a different way to handle them in pots or in the ground. Growing in pots is a bit more challenging (at first). Media is important. Vireya have no tap root but very fine roots that want to come to the surface. They need good drainage & air. Think of orchids, anthuriumms, bromiliads. One mix is 1/3 each perlite, pine bark, & coarse peat. Coconut chunks with perlite also works... though will dry out more quickly as the roots fill the pot. They like bright light and humidity. As for watering, it is not how much water they receive but rather how quickly the water drains through. Before I go on and on... what kind of help or information do you need? How are your vireya doing? It's been a few months since you posted your original message. Aloha,
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What gorgeous plants! Thanks for the posting.
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Hi D'Ann, I am glad you bought a hybrid rather than a specie as they seem to me to be easier to grow. Tropic Glow is Vireya laetum X Vireya zoelleri - laetum is yellow and comes from around 6,000 ft in New Guinea and zoelleri is orange and comes from sea level to about 6,000 ft in New Guinea also. The hope with this, is that the zoelleri makes the cross able to tolerate the heat and warm night time temperatures we have here, where as laetum by itself probably would not. If Tropic Glow was on a list suitable for Florida then it should be OK. I think Pacific Island Nursery is very reliable - also Bovees in Portland Oregon. When you choose future plants I would find a flower you like, such as from the Pacific Island web site and then find out its' parentage and then google the parents to find out the altitude they are growing at naturally. As you can see zoelleri is very adaptable whereas the laetum is much less so. Hybrids with both parents coming from sea level would be the easiest for Florida conditions, such as zoelleri X macgregoriae. V. macgregoriae is very floriferous with small orange flowers and grows from sea level to about 10,000 ft in New Guinea and is a very easy vireya to grow - although I would still stick to the hybrids rather than a specie. I think that for growing vireyas in Florida, the altitude of the parents is the most important consideration, because although vireyas come from the Asian tropics, the temperature they tolerate is governed by the altitude they occur in. Just as orchids that grow naturally above about 3,000 ft do not usually survive here, vireyas seem to be the same and the problem is not the heat and humidity during the daytime but the lack of a fall in temperature at night time in summer, which occurs with altitude. After the altitude thing, culture is very important - as I mentioned before, think orchids and they like to be positioned on top of the medium, not buried in it. It must be well draining , no wet feet. However they don't like to dry out like a succulent would - more of a good soaking, then dry then another good soaking as you would treat an orchid. I gave all my vireyas away several years ago when we moved house and I still have not restarted growing them. Perhaps you will be able to tell me which ones you have success with. Denise.
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Vireya Recommendation
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The Valley Forge Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society has been known to carry them in their annual plant sale on the first weekend in May. Prior sales and meetings have been held at the Jenkins Arboretum, south of Valley Forge Park: 631 Berwyn Baptist Road, Devon, PA 19333. Sale hours on Sat 9am-3pm; Sun 11am-3pm. Pre-sale Party on Friday 6-9pm. Plants are sold at the pre-sale party too but that costs $40, while the regular plant sale has free admission. Plants sold include azaleas, rhododendrons, and, of course, vireyas, which are tropical; camellias; shrubs, Japanenese Maples, blueberries and other trees; perennials/ferns/etc. Bring cash, checks or plastic. The following weekend, they sell locally grown azaleas and rhodies. See http://www.valleyforgears.org/
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User
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank You funnelweb I know what you mean it is so dry here too.
Our three Rainwater tanks are empty, it wont rain will it.

Finger crossed for today hopefully we will both get some rain.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
inga..Thank You I hope it goes well too.
How have you been I have missed GW and have not been on for ages.
I am now a Moderator on an Australian Photography Forum and that takes all my spare time and more
Things are slowing down at the moment so I am on to see how everyone's plants are coming along especially as it is so dry here.. It will be great to hear how things are up there in the Northern Hemisphere also.
inga007
11 years ago
As I said before, welcome back!
Nice to see your lovely photos again.
I still stop by every day, to see how things are doing "down under".
At times it's been" few and far between" posts, but it seems to have become more popular lately.
Looking forward to seeing more of your photos.
It's an early winter here. most days and nights are in the minus ÃÂ°C
but we are still "warm"against the prairies -25ÃÂ°C or so.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank You inga not much flowering in the garden at present its very dry here.
Hardly any rain for the past two years though the Frangipani and Bougainvillea still bloom ok.
Good to read it is not too cold yet, goodness I cannot imagine -25C that's way to cold for me...
funnelweb
11 years ago
Neither can I, minus 25c, enough to bring on 'cabin-fever', inga. Two years of dryness, yes, that's about when I planted out squares of Sir Walter buffalo grass that I've been sprinkling with the hose since just to keep them alive. I remember your beautiful photos way back when, Misty; I was jealous of them, and your viraya's above are superb.
B.
tuppitoo
11 years ago
Delightful indeed Misty,and a great photo as well.We've had over an inch of rain in the past 2 days and more to come. Things might brighten up after poor Spring results. Some of the Kangaroo Paws are looking drab whilst others in a different location are ok. Are these hybrids prone to problems.? At least the feed and weed got rid of the clover and the lawn is looking good and the rain will further improve it.

chas
funnelweb
11 years ago
Trust the 'feed and weed' didn't get to your k.ps, Chas!

B.
garyfla_gw
11 years ago
hi
Curious as to how you're growing them?? I always managed to kill them even though I carefully selected lowland varieties , I used pots with a bark mix Thanks gary
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Chas we got 36mm yesterday and had a heavy shower an hour ago Monday morning 7am .. Even the non existent lawn is staring to green up
Nature is wonderful at times.

All of my Kangaroo Paws have died the last few years in the ground and in pots. And I wont plant any more of those Hybrids they dont do well here.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Gary. My small plant is in the ground at the base of a tall Calliandra nemiphylla shrub so undercover though with plenty of light, planted Sept 14th so only three months ago.. I am keeping the water up to it as there are White Spathiphyllum close by and with a few very tall Gum trees a few metres away and many other plants making the soil dry out very quick..
garyfla_gw
11 years ago
Hi
I thought they were all epiphytes?? lol I grow most of my plants in pots due to very poor soil and nematodes.
They are rather rare around here due to the heat but supposedly there are heat tolerant types. They grow fantastic ones in California and the Pacific NW
Thanks for the info gary
User
Original Author
11 years ago
I am sure they are Gary though I will see how it goes in the ground if it starts to look like some thing is wrong then I will pot it up..

Cheers Mary-Anne.. And MA will do

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