Over the next few weeks we should start to see rhododendrons come into flower, providing a riot of colour for the next month or so.
Because they flower at different times, they seem to last for a very long time.
Some have already flowered but were damaged by frosts. So it is always worth having several plants in the garden. If we don’t get these frosts the flowers are very welcome, but this year has been disastrous for many species.
The best of the larger varieties of rhododendron were first seen here at the beginning of the last century when the Chinese varieties were being shipped to England. They were rather fragile until gardeners crossed them with European and American species, so creating today’s successful ‘hardy hybrids’.
The most famous one was pink pearl, produced by Antony Waterer of Surrey. The story is that it almost didn’t get here.
Mr Waterer marked it for shipment but it disappeared -Êuntil he spotted it in one of his workmen’s gardens and managed to retrieve it.
It has huge pink flowers and was in all the best shows and gardens for many years.
Mr Percy Wiseman worked for Waterers Nursery in the middle of the last century and crossed the yakusimenum rhododendron to produce an ideal small plant.
The species produced flowers on a small bush without fail, and the leaves were also most attractive with ‘indumentum’ on the backs of them - a brown velvety covering.
The Percy Wiseman variety was a salmon pink colour and the ’seven dwarfs’ ranged from bright red for Dopey to mauve for Happy. I have them planted all in a row in my own garden.
There are now thousands of rhododendrons easily available. One of my favourites is Janet Ward which was created from Cynthia, one of the old hardy hybrids. This one is pink with a white stripe and it inherits the hardiness and free-flowering capacity of its mother.
The ightham varieties were produced at Reuters Nursery in Kent. They aren’t quite as hardy as some others, but if our climate is indeed getting warmer they may become easier to look after. The colours are yellows and salmons and the blooms are quite small.
It is difficult to choose from all the many varieties of rhododendron. The best places to see them are in the west of Scotland or in Cornwall, where the remaining big gardens have them in huge array. Although my garden at Swallow Hayes is not ideal, I do have quite a few growing here.
I will be holding an open day on May 4. Phone 01902 372624 to make an appointment.
By Pat Edwards
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