Rhododendrons

When an authority tells you something can’t be done, doing it gives supreme satisfaction. Perhaps this is why the rhododendrons of Mrs. Bredelle Jesse of Columbia, Missouri, are her favorite shrubs. When Mrs. Jesse first considered the problem of growing rhododendrons in 1938, the University of Missouri’s horticulture department told her it was impossible.  Rhododendrons … Read more

With some 700 species and at least 10,000 hybrids to choose from, it is little wonder the rhododendron has claimed the affection and interest of gardeners.  Whenever a breathtaking specimen is seen, the desire to own one like it becomes overwhelming. Before success with rooted cuttings, rhododendrons were propagated either by grafting or layering. Unfortunately, … Read more

We listened carefully to the sage whisperings of the firs before we ventured into our woodland with saw and spade. Two years passed before my husband, and I could bring ourselves to the actual operation of digging out some of the lush ground corers so that paths could be staked out.  Natives such as Vancouver … Read more

August is a favorable month for the vegetative propagation of many kinds of plants.  Layering – rooting a section of a plant in the earth while it is still attached to the mother plant is a sure method that requires no expensive equipment.  Rhododendrons may take a year and a half to 2 years, but … Read more

The large-leaved rhododendrons, popular, evergreen ornamentals in the mild and semi-rigorous regions of the country, are hard to propagate.  However, moisture-proof plastic wrapping is a technique that uses and increases the number of successful rootings with a simple use of modern material. This common material, polyethylene, is used to provide proper conditions for air-layering, a … Read more

Within recent years, much attention has been given to the propagation by stem cuttings of hybrid rhododendrons, whose gorgeous blossoms and magnificent foliage are familiar to almost every gardener.  Research work that I recently completed now proves that many of these hybrids can be propagated by home gardeners with the simplest equipment and technique. True, … Read more

Why can’t we grow them here?” is the wistful question so often asked by travelers who have seen the magnificent rhododendrons in the south of England, the west coast of Wales or Scotland, or on our Pacific coast.  Fortunately, these tender rhododendrons can be grown in colder climates using special methods. Although ambitious gardeners have … Read more

For gardening purposes, azaleas are classed apart from rhododendrons.  Horticulturally, azaleas are a series of rhododendrons characterized by the fall leaf dropping of many of its members and fewer stamens (usually five) than other rhododendrons. Distinctive and beautiful azaleas are so widely propagated that any interested gardener can have azaleas blooming in his garden from … Read more

Trends in gardening sometimes result in certain flowers being found less often in American gardens today. Rhododendrons are an example of an old-fashioned flower that has reversed the trend.  The rhododendron group is so large (over 800 species and several thousand named varieties) that suitable types can be found for almost every size and style … Read more