Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
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Tim B
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:56 pm Posts: 417 Location: Seekonk, Massachusetts USA, USDA zone 6b
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Mo, great looking Rhodos. The macabeanum and arizelum are beauties!!
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Tue Jun 21, 2016 2:12 am |
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Anne Rhody
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:16 am Posts: 195 Location: Missouri USA
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Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Wow - a lot has happened while I was gone today !
Mo - excellent photos - that is pristine foliage and those are very healthy looking rhododendrons. Thank you.
David - thank you for appreciating my approach to planting. Here is another photo showing the setting for the garden, with a view to the south and the Ozark hills, which stretch almost all the way to Arkansas, approx. 1 hour away. More has been planted since this photo was taken, and sizes have increased.
Tim - In almost all instances, regardless of whether I am planting rhododendrons, azaleas, viburnums, etc. I replace the native soil with a mixture of Miracle-Gro potting mix and pine bark mulch - approx. 50-50, but usually slightly more pine bark mulch by volume than Miracle-Gro potting mix.
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Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:14 am |
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Tom Velardi
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:20 pm Posts: 4337 Location: Kyushu, Southern Japan (33.607N latitude)
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Lovely property Anne. I hope to live in a place like that again one day.
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Tue Jun 21, 2016 9:28 am |
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Anne Rhody
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:16 am Posts: 195 Location: Missouri USA
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Rhododendron 'Spellbinder'
Back in 2016 I posted here about contacting Bruce Clyburn regarding Rhododendron 'Spellbinder.' I contacted him in 2013. He answered my many questions and then I went on the quest to find 'Spellbinder.' I spoke with Ray Walylko at W. W. Nurseries in Indiana, PA, who thought he had some in stock. Due to a foot injury, he had to send an employee out to look for 'Spellbinder' in his greenhouses. They had cuttings growing, but not ready to ship. Then Ray Walylko passed away and a lady who was helping him kept the place running. I sent her a deposit for two 'Spellbinder' to ship to me when they were ready. That employee left the company, the 'Spellbinder' were nowhere to be found, and a new owner took over, with mentoring from Ray Walylko's son David, who I have spoken to a few times. David took cuttings of 'Spellbinder' for me but they did not take. Then he tried again, and they did not take. For the third try, one took, and I received it on 10/18/17 and put it in a 2-1/2 quart pot. My quest started with the phone call to Ray Walylko on 8/15/13 and I didn't give up.
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Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:02 am |
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Tim B
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:56 pm Posts: 417 Location: Seekonk, Massachusetts USA, USDA zone 6b
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
That is a long wait Anne! I’m glad you received a Spellbinder.
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Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:31 am |
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Anne Rhody
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:16 am Posts: 195 Location: Missouri USA
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Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Tim - sources were limited. When I get a chance I will photograph it - a small plant at this point.
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Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:38 am |
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johnw
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:37 pm Posts: 240 Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Tim - I wouldn't spend much time chasing down Spellbinder. Saw it at Leach's in the 80's and it was a very big plant, we were floored. We searched for it high and low like madmen until the late 80's when we got a few from Greer, then Briggs did a single run of it in the mid-90's and our chapter brought in about 50.
After all the fuss I quickly lost my enthusiasm for it - the leaves are horrible and looks like tired bananas, the flowers very quickly fade to an insipid colour. From a rooted cutting count on a dozen years to see a first flowers and several more for heavy bud set given lots of sun. Flowers do not drop when spent so requires dead-heading. No fragrance. However it is very cold hardy into Zone 5 if there are no late frosts. It does not seem to take crosses but has good pollen.
Photo #1 - Spellbinder day 1
Photo #2 - Spellbinder day 1
Photo #3 - Spellbinder shortly thereafter.
Much better is Babylon, a classy early plant with fragrance; it never misses a year.
If I were you I'd get calophytum, sutchuenense or 'Babylon' pollen and put it on your best doer with colour. Here's a cross I did awhile back - 'Barbara Hall ' (a local hybrid) x sutchuenense.
john
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Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:20 pm |
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Anne Rhody
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:16 am Posts: 195 Location: Missouri USA
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Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
'Spellbinder' in Bruce Clyburn's garden. I will grow it for only the foliage.
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Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:41 pm |
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davidmdzn7
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:01 pm Posts: 412 Location: Maryland, USA
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Anne, I thought hybrids weren't appealing to you? R. max X calophytum probably has a slight edge in heat resistance, if for no other reason than having been bred and selected in North Carolina. But I'm glad you are looking to establish some big leafed hybrids in your garden. You are far more likely to have success with them than pure big leaf species of the falconera or grandia subsections. Which have never been long-term established in non-maritime climate parts of the US. At best in a place with relatively cool summers like eastern MA, they last until extreme winters, or rare hot summers, finish them off.
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 1:48 am |
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Tim B
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:56 pm Posts: 417 Location: Seekonk, Massachusetts USA, USDA zone 6b
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
John, your Spellbinder is a beauty. If that’s not worth growing you must have some stunning Rhododendron. PS, regarding Babylon. Your ARS 17-144 (brachycarpum 'Tony Law' X rex ssp. fictolacteum) X 'Babylon' has produced a couple seedlings which are stunning and very aggressive. Nice job.
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 1:53 am |
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Anne Rhody
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:16 am Posts: 195 Location: Missouri USA
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Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
David - I have hybrids and species in my garden. For the most part, I prefer species, especially the big leafs. However, the foliage on some of the hybrids is also very interesting - i.e. 'Teddy Bear' and many of the yaks including 'Ken Janeck' and 'Koichiro Wada' with their tomentum. Foliage has always been what attracted me to Rhododendrons. I wouldn't care if they never bloomed. The flowers are a bonus.
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:01 am |
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johnw
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:37 pm Posts: 240 Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Last edited by johnw on Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:07 pm |
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johnw
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:37 pm Posts: 240 Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
BTW Both of you should grow brachycarpum Tigerstedtii x macabeanum 'Earl of Stair', very hardy and looks much like mac itself.
Ron R. and Geo.W both have selections.
This is Ron's growing here a couple of years ago.
john
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:16 pm |
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Anne Rhody
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 3:16 am Posts: 195 Location: Missouri USA
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Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
John W. - when you say Ron R. and George W. both have selections, are you saying they have selections for sale? Would Ron R. be Rare Find Nursery? I don't know a George W. Can you connect the name to a nursery or provide contact information? Nice plant in the photo. Thank you.
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 8:17 pm |
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johnw
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:37 pm Posts: 240 Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: Rhododendron & Azalea Flowering - Spring 2016
Anne - Ron hasn't worked at Rarefind for 20 months or so, you never know they might have one kicking around although it's Ron's hybrid. Best to talk to an ARS member in your area to see if someone is growing it and would be willing to send cuttings to Van Veen for you.
To clarify - both Ron & I asked June Sinclair in Washington State to put her macabeanum 'Earl of Stair' on brachycapum T. She did and sent the both of us seed, Ron made his selection. About the same time Geo. did the same cross, likely using June's mac as the pollen parent and he made a similar selection to Ron's. The cross in reverse always failed at June's so good she did the reverse.
Geo.W. works for an estate on Long Island and doesn't sell, he does hybridize and frequently his hybrids turn up at ARS Convention sales etc.. I'm sure Tim would know who has it in the eastern US or has good connections & where to land one.
Friend picked one (Ron's) up for me at the last ARS Long Island convention, Rarefind did the inspections and shipped them over here.
john
Last edited by johnw on Tue Oct 24, 2017 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:45 pm |
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