Rhodie lovers - your help please...

Hi all,

I am after a type of Rhodie that nobody seems to sell. I saw it when I was up at Inverewe Gardens a week or two ago (pictures to follow), and I think it is stunning. I know a lot of people aren't fans of rhodies but they are my favourite plants, and I fell in love with this one straight away. It is called "Elizabeth Lockhart" and I am attaching the picture I took at the time.



I have done a bit of trawling and ringing around local nurseries but no-one seems to have it in stock. The one place I found on the net that seems to stock it (Glendoick) won't dispatch until at least autumn.

Can anyone help me to find one for sale?

Cheers,

Dave

 

Hi, DIHG.

I used these folk when I was trying to identify an Azalea and they were exceptionally friendly and helpful ... perhaps it's worth a try ...

http://www.rhododendrons.com/index

 

Hi LOL,

Thanks for the tip, unfortunately they are out of stock as well. I wonder if there has been a run on them lately?!

Cheers,

Dave

 

http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/pfregions.asp?ID=89879
I think this list may help Dave

 

these have it,in 2 sizes

http://www.bodnant.co.uk/cgi-bin/viewplants.pl?cat=6&page=35

your photo has tempted me!

 

What a wonderful foliage colour, never seen anything like that before. What colour is the flower?

 

Thanks for the tips guys - hope I can get one soon then! :D

Fran - the flower is deep red apparently, but I've not seen it myself to confirm. Sounds a bit garish, but the colour of the foliage would more than make up for it, I think!

 

I would agree - quite something.

 

Thanks for posting I haven't seen that one before. I have a feeling that isn't going to be hardy for me.

 

I'm not sure DF, you don't seem to have remarkably colder winters than us in CT? One site I checked said you have an average winter temp of around -1 to -6C? Or is that way off the mark?

Most rhodies will take some pretty cold conditions - my dwarves have all survived outside fine for several years for example. I wouldn't be planning to keep this one in a frost free place, if/when I can get hold of it!

 

There could well be a reason why they are out of stock, and it could be because it is the wrong time of year for moving shrubs. Unless they are pot grown you do not disturb them until the Autumn or Winter. I used to work for H.M. Forestry Commission and we moved about 3.5 million trees during the Autumn and Winter, never in the Summer. (Summer?, what Summer?).

 

'Tis a fair point Larkshall, but I am used to seeing things like rhodies in pots at any time of the year. The way the weather has been lately, it would probably drown if I were to get it right now anyway, so I am prepared to be patient!

 

Well that is how cold it gets along the shore but who can afford to live down there?

We have extended periods of cold with a lot of icy wind which I think is what does in the Rhodies. There isn't any problem growing what we call 'ironclad' Rhododendrons that are hardy to about -20C. They do well in this area. Just for the record the coldest temp I have recorded at my house was -32C (-25F). This hardly happens but it can dip down to -17C a couple of times a winter especially away from the maritime influence. We also get between 30 and 50 inches of snow a year and sometimes a lot more. I think the main problem is the extremes we have here. I often am growing things for the next hardiness zone for several years than whamo a really bad winter comes along and they die. Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
is a good example of this, it will survive nine out of ten years usually.

PS I hope I did my C to F conversions right.