Is this rhododendron?
Constant Gardner (MD USA)
8 years ago
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8 years agomacranthos
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
rhododendron schlippenbachii (royal azalea)
Comments (11)I wouldn't worry about it's form now. I assume you want a taller plant. Let it grow taller and then prune the top to force it to bush out. R. schlippenbachii will grow to 5' in 10 years. Mine is much older and over 5' tall. It is tolerant of most soils, not requiring as much acidity as most rhododendrons. It does require sun in mid summer for a heavy flower bud set. One of the most striking features of the plant is the fall color. If in more sun, the leaves will turn a striking red and then yellow. Give it too much summer sun and the beautiful foliage will become an unsightly display. Give it too little sun exposure and the plant will not flower well and the growth habit will be leggy. In the right situation schlippenbachii will reward you with a gorgeous floral display in early spring and beautiful foliage the rest of spring, summer and fall. Our ARS chapter just had a plant sale and sold several dozen schlippenbachii which were about 18" tall and the just had a few blooms this year. They will probably set more blooms next year. Given enough sun, they will soon develop a heavy flower bud set....See MoreOT-My rhododendron has sported? Or is it a rootstock sucker?
Comments (8)Thank you, stillanntn! My white blooms do indeed bear a striking resemblance to those of Cunningham's White whose photos I found on the internet. Also, I found several articles by the American Rhododendron Society about grafting rhododendrons, and Cunningham's White was suggested as a good rootstock. So, it appears that it might be rare in commerce, but not unheard of. Since my disappeared rhododendron was yellow, perhaps the white blooms are rootstock left over from it - I will post on here when I figure out whether or not that is a plant standing on its own, and not a sucker from the larger one. If it is standing on its own, I think it must be either rootstock, or a seedling - so fun to have mysteries in the garden! Jackie https://www.rhododendron.org/v66n3p165.htm...See MorePurple Gem Rhododendron Issues
Comments (8)So we are in New England. The winter was unusually warm with little snow then a night of like -10 in February followed by a really hot and dry May. This messed up a lot of perennials around here. Even established ones. Recently it has been very hot, but alot of rain. That garden was made with compost/loam mix covered with about 2" of natural hemlock bark mulch. There is a row purple gems and Autumn Bonfire Encore Azalea and some are in the sun, some are in the shade of a tree. I guess its just odd that they are from 2021 and should be established and they suddenly take a turn. Emphasis on the sudden. One day they look good, the next not so much. Here is "Plant 1" from above with different closeup shots And "Plant 2" from above, the one doing worse. Looks almost dead now For comparison, this is a healthy one right next to it. And this is what both of those looked like on July 20, then on July 21...... stuff goes south.... What can I look for or try? They did great in 2022, some even bloomed a 2nd time in the fall. Thank you! Oh and on the "green carpet," it sadly has some crab grass I would have cropped out of the pictures had I known folks would closely examine ha. I will have to tell the rabbits to do a better job eating it......See MoreHelp! Rhododendron, rootstock sprouting with striped bark?
Comments (2)thank you, GG. when I planted all of my rhodies/azaleas I was still in the mindset of the southeast where shade is a must so I put most of them in too much shade. I have moved nearly all of them to new locations, but I have a Nova Zembla that just finished its seventh summer and has never bloomed, so I’m THAT special! it is healthy, though, and I’m assuming as it matures it will bloom like all of the other huge 15’ rhodies around it in more shade. I check it each fall and can see only leaf buds, so it’s not an issue of something happening to the buds, but I think it has some flower buds this fall. Fingers crossed. I had no idea that type of bark was possible. I’ll update in the spring and see what comes out of this different branch....See MoreEmbothrium
8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agoOld Forester ( Zones 8a-6a ) Ga/NC
8 years agoConstant Gardner (MD USA)
8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agomacranthos
8 years agoConstant Gardner (MD USA)
8 years agomacranthos
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agoConstant Gardner (MD USA)
8 years ago
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