A TOUCH OF CLASS!
Gracing a stately pile or just a pot, these rhodos are natural aristocrats
Were plants to have a social status, camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons would surely be the aristocrats. They flourish in almost every country estate and will look fabulous from now until summer. Few of us have the acreage for rhododendron groves or romantic camellia walks. But you can grow both plant groups on almost any scale and enjoy their beautifully coloured flowers every spring.
For small gardens, dwarf rhododendrons and tiny evergreen azaleas love growing in pots. With minimal attention both flower reliably year after year.
Off-season, their evergreen foliage is welcome greenery backing summer displays. To be botanically correct, both are actually rhododendrons. But don’t let that confuse you. Just make sure that what you buy are compact, controllable shrubs. The pink-flowering azalea
R. Hinomayo stays compact for years, as does R. Geisha Orange and R. Geisha Purple.
Camellias grow much larger and need regular pruning. But their large spring flowers are a massive reward for little effort.
For wider choices and for advice, it’s better to deal with specialist suppliers. examples include Burncoose (burncoose. co.uk) and Millais Nurseries (rhododendrons.co.uk).
SPRINGTIME STARS
Though spectacular in spring, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas are low-key for the rest of the year. Take extra care and choose varieties with the best off-season charm.
Visit public gardens or even parks over the coming weeks, to see them in bloom. It helps to jot down names of varieties which you like. use wide-based, stable containers. half barrels are great for dwarf rhodos or big Alpine pans for the tiny ones. They’ll go for years without pruning. All you do is remove gawky or damaged shoots.
Feed sparingly in spring and summer, with slow-release rhododendron fertiliser.
Camellias are large and need big containers. But they’re responsive to pruning and easily kept to a reasonable size. My prettiest, Camellia x williamsii
St. Ewe, has single pink flowers from February to April. The double pink C. Donation also does well in a large container.
These plants need acidic soil, though camellias are more tolerant than rhodos. grow in ericaceous compost or acid soil.
REFRESH YOUR POTS
LONg-TerM container plants need re-potting, though not necessarily every year. It’s nearly too late for re-potting now, as the shrubs are coming into growth. The best time is November to mid-February.
Potted camellias need pruning annually, or every second year. After flowering, remove older, more woody branches.
Camellias and dwarf rhododendrons may need re-potting every third or fourth year. Like slow-growing dwarf conifers, tiny azaleas might be happy in the same containers for years.
re-potting is usually simple. But with mature shrubs, you may need help extracting plants from their pots.
Tease out roots with a fork. Prune out older, woody roots, leaving plenty of young fibrous root material.
With such a massive range of gorgeous little rhodos, you’ll be spoilt for choice when you want a replacement.