IN THE GARDEN: RHODODENDRON RHAPSODY
Fanatic fans: These facts and code words will impress enthusiasts of this fascinating genus that finds almost perfect growing conditions in our neck of the woods
Rhodos here, rhodos there, blooming rhododendrons everywhere. Just stop and look around. Tell me what you see?
Yep, rhododendrons — big ones, small ones, red ones, white ones, yellow, purple, pink and blue ones — blooming, blooming, blooming, pretty much everywhere.
Of course, you do realize we live in rhododendron heaven. It’s no accident we have so many rhodos planted in every neighbourhood from Lions Bay to Abbotsford.
Our West Coast climate is perfect for these evergreens, most of which originate from other parts of the world.
Our soil is acidic. It drains well, it is fertile and it is full of all the right nutrients. Our temperature is mostly perfect — not too hot, not too cold — and the soft sunlight that streams gently through the canopy of our rainforest trees is just what rhododendrons love.
Chances are you have at least one or two in your own garden. Most people living here do.
Some people take their rhododendrons more seriously than others.
Take my friend, Joe Ronsley, for example. He wasn’t born here; he’s an American from Chicago originally.
And he lived most of his life in Montreal, where he was an English professor.
But he fell madly in love with rhodos, even though he was living in one of the most frigid parts of the country.
When the chance came to retire, he settled in Lions Bay and immediately began collecting and growing all his favourite rhodos: ones that would never survive in Montreal.
He went on to become the president of not only the Vancouver Rhododendron Society, but also the prestigious Rhododendron Species Foundation based in Washington state.
Like all rhodo experts — that’s what he is now — Ronsley thinks there is no other group of plants that can compete.
“The genus Rhododendron stands at the forefront of all genera among ornamental plants,” he says.
OK, so that puts rose and orchid enthusiasts in their place, not to mention pretty much every other plant society on the planet.
But, hey, this is not untypical of rhodo lovers; they believe with almost crusader-like passion that there is no other genus deserving of as much admiration as this group of broadleaf (and small leaf) evergreens. (By the way, the rhododendron designation includes azaleas, too, in case you were wondering: azaleas are just rhodos by another name.)
You might think rhodos are OK when they are in bloom, stunningly beautiful even, for a time. But you also might think they are a bit boring the rest of the time.
Wrong. To the rhodo lover, they have just as much beauty — and in some cases, more beauty — when they are not in bloom.
The leaf texture, elegant shape and architecture of plants, the dependable structure they bring to a garden year-round, all these things easily compensate for their relatively brief flowering period.
Even the brevity of blooming is something rhodo enthusiasts will dispute, pointing out that you can have rhodos in bloom from January to July if you pick the right ones.
Indumentum is a word you will hear them say a fair bit, too. It refers to the soft, suede-like underside of leaves on some species. Rhodo people love it. They love it so much, they even name their newsletters after it.
You have probably never heard of it, but let me tell you, if you meet a rhodo nutter, sorry, I mean enthusiast, you will do yourself no harm whatsoever if you casually say, “I do so love indumentum; it makes such a difference to the overall charm and character of a plant.” And you will be in!
Species rhodos are massively admired because they are the original ones from where all the hybrids sprang. You can’t go wrong by expressing admiration for species. Ones with gigantic leaves are special favourites, so be sure to drop such names as sinogrande, macabeanum, fictolacteum and macrophyllum.
You could start a discussion by asking if you think R. arboreum is the biggest rhodo in the world. Some say it is, rising 30 metres or so, but you will always get an argument. Can be fun.
You could impress by saying you once met a guy who had R. proteoides, considered one of the most desirable, most coveted of all. And then show you really know what you are talking about by saying, “I just wish I could afford one myself. I mean, they are soooo expensive.” (Ronsley tells me this is the main reason there is not one in his garden.)
Hardiness is not a big issue. Most rhodo lovers live here on the coast, but if the conversation did come around to hardiness you could always mention R. brachycarpum var. tigerstedtii, one of the toughest, hardiest rhodos of them all.
Most hated rhodo? Probably R. ponticum, perhaps R. ponticum variegatum, but you are probably safer mentioning R. ‘President Roosevelt,’ which has not only ugly variegated green and yellow leaves but clashing pink flowers.
Ronsley tells me: “I admired the actual president Roosevelt enormously, however, regret that this ugly plant is named after him.”
Red rhodos are always a firm favourite with male rhodo lovers, so it’s always good to know the best red rhodos: ‘Malahat,’ R. barbatum, ‘Taurus,’ ‘Etta Burrows,’ ‘Vulcan’ and ‘Elizabeth.’
The most famous of them all is arguably ‘Jean Marie de Montague,’ but, hey, there will also be detractors on these picks.
In the yellows, you are safe with such picks as ‘Hotei,’ ‘Crest,’ and ‘Goldkrone.’
You can never go wrong picking R. augustinii in the blues. Everyone admires it. You can see a brilliant show of them at VanDusen in late April.
Other shades of blue/purple worth knowing include ‘Blue Tit,’ ‘Blue Diamond,’ ‘Blue Peter,’ ‘Blue Bird,’ ‘Ilam Violet’ and ‘Susan.’
White rhodos get extra close scrutiny from the experts because the white has to be “clean” and “pure,” not “dirty” or “wishy-washy.”
‘Loder’s White’ scored two thumbs up, but there is also ‘Snow Lady,’ ‘Dora Amateis,’ ‘Babylon,’ ‘Ptarmigan,’ ‘King George,’ ‘Cunningham’s White,’ ‘Sappho’ and ‘ Sir Charles Lemon.’
Among the pinks, the species R. yakushimanum has appleblossom pink flowers. ‘Teddy Bear,’ ‘Ken Janeck’ and ‘Lem’s Monarch’ are all well rated along with ‘Renoir,’ ‘Bow Bells’ and ‘Dormouse.’
What you are going to find at the garden centre is ‘Trudy Weber,’ ‘Ginny Gee,’ ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Cheer.’ Nothing wrong with these.
Where space is an issue, look for alpine types with tiny leaves. R. impeditum is respected but possibly the easiest small varieties to find are ‘Ptarmigan’ and ‘Dora Amateis.’
Most disease prone? R. cinnabarinum has a bad name. Not with everyone, of course, but you will raise eyebrows if you go on about how disease-resistant they are.
To really impress rhodo people when they come to your garden, never plant PJM rhodos. They will laugh and tell you that you could do better.
Instead, take the time to invest in species like R. dauricum, R. rex, R. luteum, R. williamsianum and other “rhodos of distinction” such as R. degronianum ssp. yakushimanum. Now you’re cooking.
OK, if you want to try out everything I have told you, go to the Vancouver Rhododendron Society’s annual spring sale on May 2 at Park and Tilford Gardens in North Vancouver (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). It’s a great place to pick up knowledge as well as quality rhodos. Good luck.