Rhododendrons in the garden

Definitely Brian you deserve a glass after that ! what a wonderful selection you have and beautiful colours ! at least it looks summery even if it doesn't feel it , it's nice to see Jamie getting in on the act and Peter Rabbit peeping :o))

Lovely colour and I wish I could grow them as well as you mine never did anything stayed the same for 4 years

Wonderful collection Bjs...especially the 18th pic with lovely Jamie....:>)

beautiful garden Brian!

Yes, it is almost historical garden with a lot of old plants and trees, must be perfect for breathing it for a day. Do you remember the name of a rhodie on the 9th and 10th photo (from the bottom)? I know it from somewhere.
Jamie is a star!!!

With blooms like that you deserve a glass of something really nice Brian.

..and a glass of something nice from me too! I loved seeing your Rhodys. My camellias have been really pathetic this year, with hardly any flowers at all, and not a single flower on three of them, but my rhody's are just starting, and I treated myself to a new one today...a yak called 'Hoppy' which is a strange name for a Rhody...Anyway, I'm sure that lovely red one is exactly the one I used to grow in my last garden..so I particularly enjoyed seeing that one again! thanks Brian. I'm off to get myself a glass of something nice now...Cheers!

Karen Hoppy is nice supposed to stay quite small but so was the red one with the waxy bells in my Pics not any more ,will have to sleep on it to remember the name,I know it ,I know I do. lol
Got it,'Scarlet Wonder' a Repens hybrid

Lovely colours, both pastels and brights. I haven't room for them but admire them in other gardens. Not too far from us is the wonderful garden of Gresgarth Hall which has a staggering display of rhododendrons/azaleas, magnolias, camellias... Well worth a visit if you live in the Lancaster area. Jamie looks quite the aristocrat in that photo, Brian! Enjoy your glass of 'something nice' - enjoying mine as I type.

That name doesn't ring bells...ho ho...no pun intended...for me, but it still could be the same one as I really cannot recall the name at all.

Wonderful photographs Brian, cheered us all up on a miserable day.

Good morning Brian and such a joy and a pleasure to see your garden.
Your rhodies are all beautiful.

I have Scarlet Wonder and it grows small in my garden its full of buds now but it does not last long as its not sheltered .

When we had front garden landscaped this was 1 that they planted and it get all weathers thrown at it and been under deep snow.

I think it would do better in back garden but its finding a space as dont think got room for another rhodedendrum.

Enjoy your day .

They are all stunning Brian, I love the one in the pot on your balcony :o)

Annella
For a few weeks its there time of the year.
Scotsgran has just been wandering around the garden and she remarked that to see them for real is so much different to photos.Its a pity more goyers do not live closer as I would love to share them with more of you.
Having said that Scotsgran lives a long way away.
B.

Really beautiful. I love the pale lemon one.

I think you live at the wrong end of the UK Brian! What with all these beauties, your camellias and your primula s...fancy a swap? ;) Have you been up to visit Glendoick Gardens ever? I am going to take my friend there soon...the Rhodies will be at their peak, and when you're up there on the hillside, it really does seem like you're in the Himalayas with all the blue poppies etc. Oh,I know a lot of people really don't care for Rhodies, but I have always loved them. So much variety of form and colour, and the lush evergreen leaves. and we rarely have any trouble with pests or diseases on ours. I especially love my Bronzy leaved one...it's got loads of buds this year, and Hopefully I'll get the chance to show it off in the next couple of weeks. :) Perhaps it's because they do so well in Scotland, in May, when little else is really in flower except tulips!

Karen no I have not been there,I know of course of Cox family and have an early book of there's on rhododendrons,can only remember visiting one garden in Perthshire that was private one ,when I visited it had been handed over to something like the National Trust,that had a large collection Meconopsis and Rhododendrons.

Oh, that might have been Branklyn garden in Perth, or the Himalayan garden near Pitlochry. A short flight to Edinburgh? ;)

Thank you Brian for answer. Similarly to Scotsgran, I grow Scarlet Wonder in my garden, too, but my experience is the same as Scotsgran´s. It grows small, something around 30 cm.

I have it in sheltered position, but oriented to South and that is what - at least in the Continent - rhodies do not like very often, as their soil often dries up too much. All those in my garden which are doing well, are sheltered and oriented either to North or to the West. How about this one?

Katarina I think a number of my Rhododendrons are taller than normal as they were planted a bit close together and over the years have had to keep pushing upwards to obtain there share of the daylight. I prune vigorous ones most years otherwise the small ones would loose out.

Karen
Yes Branklyn it was, stopped over in Pitlochry heading north on that occasion never saw the Himalayan one.And yes a very easy flight from Bristol,would like to do it again sometime soon.

Let me know when you are coming, and I'll join you for lunch and a tour of Glendoick! ;))

Looking at all these beauties makes me long for a larger garden, I have managed to squeeze one `Dreamland` which is in full bud right now in my front garden.

These are all spectacular Brian, I used to have Yellow Hammer till it got too big. Scotsgran is very lucky to be able to have visited and seen it all for real!

Louisa
A lot of people say Rhododendrons become to large,not realizing how easy it is to prune them after they flower.first year you remove about half the material that you want to dispose of, the followng year the remainder that way you won't' loose all your flowers for three years
No more difficult than a Rose you look for a fresh growing point.
It is not to difficult to take cuttings of small leafed ones like yellow hammer.

I didn't know that Brian, I would have tried that if I'd have known. Oh well, GoY is very educational!

will send you 50 cuttings of yellow hammer to practice with.lol

LOL, thanks Brian, I think that might be just a few too many, I'd have a forest of them in a few years!:) I often regret getting rid of plants without taking cuttings, but when I'm pruning I sometimes go a bit mad and end up taking things out when I only meant to cut them back!