Anyone grown these and had success on non-acidic soil? My soil is limestone boulder clay and if Inkarho could grow, that'd be brill.
I've thought about it ... not got around to it though Dunno if there are other UK suppliers (all German imports, presumably?) but this is the one I have in my Favourites: http://www.rhododendrons.co.uk/Category/41/lime-tolerant-rhododendrons.aspx I suppose the thing that has put me off is: 1) I haven;t really designated an area for Rhodies 2) I haven't tested the soil to see how close to pH7 or maybe pH7.5 it might be. If it is more alkaline than that then I'll definitely give it a miss (rather than try to acidify it)
Thanks for the link, Kristen. I going to give it a miss as all the Inkarho cultivars are low growing varieties and where I wanted to put them, would need height.
You sure about that? I thought that when I looked earlier - all of them said 150 or maybe 200cm in 10 years - is that what you saw too? I saw that and thought "Pah! Not tall enough for what I want" and then I went and looked at the "Tall Hybrids" section and none of them was more than 200cm in 10 years either :( I think of Rhodies as being MASSIVE ... perhaps they are just old? in which case maybe Inkarho ones will be massive, when old, too? But I'm just guessing ...
Just going by what I read on sites selling them, Kristen. Maybe it's to do with the rootstock that they are grafted onto. A large variety grafted onto a small variety rootstock causes problems.
Yup, I can well believe that would influence size The rootstock must be doing something harder-than-normal [for that genus] to get the Iron out of the soil at high pH - although I suppose it might just be the luck of a genetic mutation, and perhaps its no effort at all But I'm confused (and I know Squat! about Rhodies, or anything else Acid loving, as I vowed not to grow things that didn't like my soil - Mother had things in containers that never looked healthy and were a right palaver to try to get to do anything much ... plenty of other things to consider) ... ... given that I saw on that site that "Large Hybrids" would only be expected to be 2M in 10 years are there actually lots of Rhodies that grow significantly faster than that? I've seen vast ones in long established National Trust gardens etc., but they have definitely had time on their side! Perhaps the Inkarho are going to be no smaller, in time? 2M is not bad for a small garden too - even though, for my garden, I reckon I need bigger than that (ultimately, even it not "over night" )
One of my favourite sites, Millais Nurseries KS why don't you email David Millais (via the sales email) about eventual size - he will be able to advise. He's certainly been very helpful whenever I've pestered emailed him in the past
Thanks Merleworld for the tip. But 2 metres in 10 years is no good for me. Like Kristen I'd need them to be taller for the position I envisage. Kristen. I also vowed not to have acid-loving plants but I now have 3 or 4 troughs with acidic soil that I made up myself. Similar to not having Agaves again after the first lot melted at -14°C. I now have an Arid Bed with Agaves in it. Some people are gluttons for punishment!
Done ta. I know ...I have all sorts of plants that need some sort of special treatment - includes a whole Exotic Border that has to come in for the Winter. But that's different of course! It all stems from my Mother's obsession with growing Acid Loving plants - some in the ground (Pieris) with Chelated Iron, some in half-oak-barrels (Camellias) which, together with a huge range of pots that needed watering at least once a day, I vowed never to duplicate. My kids tell me that they will never have a garden because my gardening activity has scarred them for life ... so there we go!
David Millais kindly responded and said: "... the Inkarho plants should suit you. We have repeat customers from Salisbury plain! The Inkarho rootstock won't make much difference to the habit of the plants, and the heights should be similar to a regular Rhododendron on acid soil. Tall hybrids don't stop at 180cm after 10 years, but will continue to get bigger in time." Game On I reckon If you are worried about only getting to 6' in 10 years then maybe splash out any buy one that is already heading for 6' in a 90L container? "No trouble, just a little expense"
There is an Inkarho version of Enkianthus campanulatus (well by "Inkarho" they don't mean using its grafted onto the Rhododendron rootstock, just that it is a selected lime-tolerant version). Might do as an alternative to Pieris on alkaline soils? http://www.inkarho.de/index.php?page=plant&subpage=kinds&tab=enki
The thing is....soil texture is just as much a factor as acidity, but books rarely mention that! Rhodies, camellias, hydrangeas...they've all got fibrous root systems that need a friable, even sandy, soil to do well. That's why they do well in a pot of peat-based compost, even if not specifically ericaceous. Whatever kind of rhodi you plant, on clay it would need a wide, thoroughly prepared planting hole, with a good mix of peat, sand and loam.
