| Where the garden meets the wild | ||
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RHODODENDRON RHODODENDRON, AZALEA Ericaceae (Heath family) |
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Rhododendron quinquefolium. Photograph © Don Martyn. |
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There might be 50 Rhododendron species or 1500, depending on who's counting. The taxonomy changes kaleidoscopically as new plants are discovered and familiar ones are assigned new relationships through DNA analysis. For descriptions and current names we rely mainly on The Rhododendron Handbook 1998, published by the Royal Horticultural Society (ISBN 1-874431-63-9), supplemented by Steve Hootman's expert catalogues for the Rhododendron Species Foundation. We are also mindful of the taxonomic revisions proposed by Loretta Goetsch, Andrew Eckert and Benjamin Hall of the University of Washington. Our cold-hardiness temperatures are from the American Rhododendron Society but, like all such indicators, they are approximate. Most of the rhododendrons we offer are uncommon in gardens; some are rare in the wild. Our western North American species ~ albiflorum, occidentale, groenlandicum and macrophyllum ~ are grown from seeds. Unless noted, the other species are grown from cuttings. We hope to offer more plants from seeds as time goes on. If you are attracted to rhododendrons, take a look at the closely related Menziesia and Cladothamnus. We have a long, changing list of Rhododendron species at the nursery, always in small quantities. In 2008 we offer only a few Rhododendron species by mail, for fall shipping only. |
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Rhododendron albrechtii Maxim. Subgenus
Pentanthera, Section Sciadorhodion.
Pot (10 cm / 4"). $8.00 |
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Rhododendron barbatum
Pot (1 gal. / 6"). $15.00 |
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Photograph © Hank Helm
Photograph © Les Clay |
Rhododendron campylogynum Franchet Myrtilloides Group. Subgenus Rhododendron, Section Rhododendron,
Subsection Campylogyna. The name means "with a bent
ovary." This is an extremely variable species; we offer a dense,
low-mounding, dwarf form of what used to be called var. myrtilloides. Its tiny, shiny leaves are aromatic.
Its
June flowers are tiny pink thimbles dancing above the leaves on long
stalks.
It is a cutie-pie. Native to rocky high moorland, often moist and mossy, in part shade to full
sun, in Arunachal Pradesh, in northern India, northern Burma, and Tibet
(Xizang) and Yunnan in China. It sometimes grows on limestone in the wild:
experiment! Hardy to
-21°C (-5°F). Zone 6. Award
of Garden Merit 2002 (Royal Horticultural Society). Pot (10 cm / 4"). $10.00 |
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Photograph © Paige Woodward |
Rhododendron dilatatum / decandrum
Subgenus Tsutsusi, Section Brachycalyx.
This azalea, too young to identify for sure, is from seed collected wild in Japan.
The two suggested species are very closely related. They are
deciduous, about 2 m (6') tall, with leaves in whorls at the tips of
branches and broadly funnel-shaped, white to maroon flowers that bloom before
the leaves unfurl. Decandrum is native to the islands of
Honshu and Shikoku, has 10 stamens and blooms in April-May; dilatatum
is native to Honshu, has five stamens and blooms in May-June. Here you see
the autumn foliage in our garden. Zone
6. Pot (10 cm / 4"). $6.00 |
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Photograph © Pat Woodward
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Rhododendron kiusianum Makino var.
kiusianum.
Subgenus Tsutsusi, Section
Tsutsusi. Kiusianum refers to Kyushu, Japan's largest southern
island, where this little azalea grows in the mountains. The funnel-shaped
flowers come in many shades of pink and rose. This selection has a low,
spreading habit and produces plentiful clear pink flowers in April - June.
Height to
1 m (3'), usully much less. Hardy to -23°C (-10°F). Zone 6. Award of Garden Merit
(Royal
Horticultural Society) 1993 to var. kiusianum in general.
Pot (1 gal. / 6"). $15.00 |
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Photograph © Pat Woodward |
Rhododendron kiusianum
Makino 'Komo Kulshan' Subgenus
Tsutsusi, Section Tsutsusi. This much loved selection
has two-toned flowers, rose-pink surrounding a clear pink heart. Komo
Kulshan ("The Great White Watcher") is a Lummi Indian term for
Mount Baker, the snow-clad volcano in Washington state. Other
details as in the previous item. Pot (1 gal. / 6"). $15.00 |
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Photograph © Hank Helm.
Photograph by Brother Alfred Brousseau, © St. Mary's College of California. |
Rhododendron macrophyllum D.
Don ex G. Don. Pacific
rhododendron, California rose-bay.
Subgenus Hymenanthes, Section Ponticum, Subsection Pontica.
Macrophyllum means "big-leaved"; Asian species with gigantic
leaves weren't known to western botany when this plant was named. This
is a tall, upright, rounded evergreen shrub that does well in dappled
shade. The 12-cm (4") leaves are matte
green above, paler below. The May-June flowers are large,
campanulate and usually pink, as in our plants, though white
and deep rose are occasionally found. The species is native from southwestern
British Columbia to California on rocky slopes and in forest openings at
anywhere from sea level to 1200 m (4000'). Our plants are from seeds
collected wild in southwestern British Columbia. This species is
closely related to the eastern North American R. maximum, but its
leaves are broader. It is the official flower of Washington state. Height to
4 m (13'), usually less. Hardy to -21°C (-5°F). Zone 6.
Pot (1 gal. / 6") $10.00 |
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Photographs © Paige Woodward |
Rhododendron occidentale (Torrey
& A. Gray) A. Gray. Western
azalea. Subgenus Pentanthera, Section Pentanthera,
Subsection Pentanthera. Occidentale means "western."
This is an open, deciduous, upright shrub that produces fragrant
flowers in May-July. It is an important ancestor of the
Exbury and Knapphill hybrid azaleas. Usually the flowers are white with a yellow
flare, shading often to tender pink, but there are many beautiful
variations. In autumn the leaves often turn red and
gold. The
species is native from Washington state to California, in many habitats.
In moist sea air it enjoys full sun. Usually however it prefers some
shade. Our plants are from Oregon seeds. Height to 4.5 m (15'). Hardy to -21°C
(-5°F). Zone 6. Award of Garden Merit (Royal
Horticultural Society) 1993.
Pot (1 gal. / 6"). $10.00 |
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Scanned image © Paige Woodward
Photographs © Paige Woodward |
Rhododendron quinquefolium Bisset & S. Moore. Subgenus
Pentanthera, Section Sciadorhodion. The name means
"five-leaved." This is the most elegant of azaleas. It is
much in demand, yet slow-growing.
The
flowers, white with green spots, bloom as the first leaves unfurl, in
April-May. The leaves are arranged in fans of five and form a layered
canopy of striking beauty. They open green
but quickly become edged with red. In autumn they turn
ruby and scarlet before they carpet the ground. Native to the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku.
Height to 8 m (26'), usually less. Hardy to
-21°C (-5°F). Zone 6. Award of Garden Merit (Royal
Horticultural Society) 1993. Pot (1 gal. / 6"). $30.00 Spring 2008 update: Those already on our waiting list will receive a pot this year. We may have a very few extra pots to offer. Please inquire. |
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Photograph © Les Clay
Photograph © Pat Woodward |
Rhododendron roxieanum
var. oreonastes (Balf. f.
& Forrest) Davidian. Subgenus
Hymenanthes, Section Ponticum, Subsection Taliensia. Plant this
one for posterity. A dwarf with very narrow, dark green, thickly
felted leaves, it starts out wonderful and keeps on getting better. The
species, quite variable, is named for Roxie Hanna, a missionary friend in Dali,
Yunnan, of the plant hunter George Forrest. Oreonastes means
"compressed mountain dweller". Our selection has very short
internodes and grows slowly, producing the compact "porcupine"
or "magnified bottle brush" habit that collectors crave.
The indumentum starts out white and ages to rust. The funnel-campanulate
flowers ~ lovely, but a secondary consideration ~ are white flushed
faintly pink with purple spots; they bloom in April-May. Native to China
below the subalpine in southern Tibet (Xizang) and northwestern Yunnan and
southwestern Sichuan provinces. Height to about 1 m (3'). Hardy to -23°C
(-10°F). Zone 6. Award of Garden Merit (Royal
Horticultural Society) 1993. Waiting list only. |
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Photograph © Diane Pertson
Photograph © Don Martyn |
Rhododendron schlippenbachii Maxim. Royal azalea. Subgenus
Pentanthera, Section Sciadorhodion. This graceful, deciduous shrub
thrives in light shade and is treasured for its very early flowers and its
autumn color. The flowers ~ white to tender pink or rose, and slightly fragrant
~ open in early spring, with or even before the leaves. In a cold autumn,
the leaves
turn scarlet, ruby and garnet before they drop. Native to open woods on the Korean
Peninsula and north into
Manchuria, this treasure is named for Baron Alexander von Schlippenbach of
the imperial Russian navy, who botanized in Korea in 1854. Height to 4.6 m (15') in
shade, 1.5 m (5') in sun. Hardy to -29°C (-20°F). Zone
4. Award of Garden Merit (Royal
Horticultural Society) 1993. Pot (1 gal. / 6"). In Canada C$15.00; elsewhere US$13.25. |
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Rhododendron wadanum Makino.
Pot (10 cm / 4"). $8.00 |
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| This page was updated March 23, 2008. | ||
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