I won this gorgeous rhodie four years ago at a Master Gardeners' workshop, and it has flourished beyond my wildest imagination. However, it did not come with a name. I did find out what it was at one time, but never wrote it down so guess what. For the life of me, I can't remember.
Can anyone help me out?
With hundreds of hybrids out there, an ID will be near impossible I'm afraid.
You could try asking at the local Rhododendron Society - bring a picture (and a flower if you can), or send them a picture - plant, closeup of flower, picture of a set of leaves - and they may be able to tell you. That's not an East-coast hybrid that I'm familiar with; lots of stuff hardy there dies here. Very Pretty! Here's a link to a list of chapters; I'm sure there's one quite close to you, and you can check their website for times, or email them the pictures.:
http://www.rhododendron.org/locations.htm
Thanks for responding, you two.
I will check with the local chapter (I think that's who donated it in the first place) and I believe the gentleman who grew this hybrid is part of that chapter and famous in this part of the country. I was a little embarrassed to ask again (I was hoping to sneak by somehow!), but looks like I will need to.
Thanks again for responding - I appreciate that a bunch!
http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/3e858bc84af1756c88256f0a00787e69/5a1ab29a858747588825684d007090ab!OpenDocument
This is mine, and yours looks a lot like it!
edit; http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGIC,GGIC:2006-49,GGIC:en&q=yaku%20princess&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
Christie
This message was edited Apr 19, 2007 7:58 PM
Christie, that is lovely!!! I think yours has more white, though (at least in the images from the link), and I don't remember that being the name. However, I don't remember a lot of things!!!!
When I find out, I'll post the name.
Thanks, all!!
I just compared the two again and, Mrs. Colla, you are right - they look a great deal alike! I'll be sure to let you know.
Mine has blooms that get 'pinker' in colour after they've been open a while, so the google search seems a bit off, with all those whitish pictures.
I looked it up in another book yesterday, and I still think it might be the Yaku Princess.
Christie
Thank you, Christie! And I finally e-mailed the local Rhododendron Society with the info and a pic . . . they are forwarding it to the person they say has provided the raffle rhodie for the last several years.
I'll keep you posted.
If you can, I would try contacting Whitney Gardens and Nursery in Brinnon, WA (on Hood Canal). They are a nursery and display garden that specializes in rhodies and azaleas. If you show them a photo and give them the details of when it blooms, etc., they might be able to help you identify it. If you want a wonderful outing, visit them in person. Their peak blooming period is around Mother's Day, but even now their garden is probably amazing! I've never seen anything like it. I've just got to share some pictures I took there last May..... Yes those rhodies are really THAT tall!
Another picture from Whitney Gardens and Nursery from Spring 2006....
More from Whitney Gardens....
Have I persuaded you to visit Whitney Gardens yet? I'm so jealous of people living in Washington right now...I really miss the glorious technicolor springs you have there!
Edited to say: Good luck on identifying your rhodie--it's really gorgeous!
Kim
This message was edited Apr 29, 2007 1:28 AM
Wow, Kim - what a glorious place!!!! Thanks for sharing those photos. Were you out this way on a visit, or have you moved since?
I was put in touch with the man who donated the Rhodie to the Master Gardeners' Workshop and he said it is an Edith Boulter. I went to visit his Rhododendron Gardens (his yard is a nursery and he sells all sorts of Rhodies and Azaleas). It is a glorious place, too - actually very close to my home, probably only four miles or so.
My husband was in the Air Force Reserves and got called up for the war. He went to both Kuwait and Iraq. He ended up being activated for 2.5 years and we were stationed at McChord AFB for the last 1.5 years of his call up. He retired in November and we came back to our home in WV. I hated leaving my house and garden in WV for so long, but I really enjoyed our time in Washington. Such a beautiful place! I acquired a bad case of zone envy...and ended up bringing back several plants (azaleas, rhodies and camellias) which are marginally hardy for our area. Guess you could say I'm in zone denial!
Ordinarily all the things I bought back would have been fine. But we had a truly screwy winter, weather-wise, and even the normally hardy plants and shrubs suffered winter damage here. I protected all my babies I thought might not like the cold. Some I did fine with--such as the camellias--but the rhodies needed more protection than I gave them, I guess. Next winter I will do better with protecting them and hope to escape without damage.
I wish I were in Washington now--the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is winding down, isn't it? I missed it while I was there and it's one of my biggest regrets that I wasn't able to make it there. I did get to the Skagit Valley (during the fall bulb sales) but wasn't able to go during the Tulip Festival.
Murmur, you can add pictures and comments in Plantfiles if you like: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/158888/index.html
Claypa, good idea . . . I never do remember such things as adding info to Plantfiles!
Kim, glad you enjoyed your time here in WA - and I too am sorry you missed the Tulip Festival . . . maybe you and DH will come for a vacation sometime? Of course, if you do, it would be better later in the season when it's a bit warmer. We've had an unusual winter as well - in fact, this morning it was 39 degrees when I got up . . . brrrrrrrrr . . . and tomorrow is the first of May!!! Seems like your zone would be fairly similar to this one?
Oh, I'm sure we will be back for visits. My DH and I both made some good friends there and we will be going back to see them. I'll probably time at least one of my visits to coincide with the Tulip Festival.
We are zone 6b but your zone and ours are not that similar. We get ferocious heat and humidity here in the summers and actually get more rain here than they do in Tacoma. The difference is, y'all don't have the swings of temperature we have here, or the high heat and humidity all summer, and you get the vast majority of your rain from mid September through early June in mostly drizzles. We get our rain year round, and when it rains, it pours!
