November 2021 in the Garden - rhododendrons, leaves just as interesting as flowers

I was so excited to see that Douglas Justice's November in the Garden 2021 - UBC Botanical Garden features rhododendron leaves, and even features several of them in the same location. But I had a little less fun than I was expecting, not only because of the rain, but really, it's harder with just leaves to figure out which ones might be the ones I'm supposed to be looking for, in spite of the good descriptions and lots of good photos, but I didn't have those with me.

My first guess was Rhododendron micranthum - did "diminutive" refer to the size of the plant or of the leaves? When I stopped looking for something along the ground and came across one a little over my height with small leaves, Ben Stormes came along to help me look for the label, which he found right away, though I'd been looking for five minutes. We agreed on the spicy aroma.


I finally found the label on R. recurvoides, which until I found the label for sure I'd have posted as a different one in the blog, as I thought the indumentum looked just like described interrupted indumentum photo for that one.


I ran into Linda Layne, who is working on trees for the winter, taking a break from the Food Garden. She told me about the azalea grove on what I'd have called the north side of Upper Asian Way, which she'd have called the west side but which my compass showed to be the east side. Really, if a whole bunch of plants are described as east of Kingdon Ward, so going east on Upper Asian Way, but two plants are described as east of Upper Asian Way, how would I know which way to turn? [Edited - I was confused about what I was looking for here, have removed some of what I wrote.] Linda pointed out the R. schlippenbachii that are mentioned in the blog, which saved me some time - garden hours are now 10-2! I've never even been there before 1pm.


I only found one of the group of R. wallichii bordering Wharton Glade near Upper Asian Way, and that after I started looking at every new and leafless plant in the area. This poor thing is not what I was expecting, but from Garden Explorer, it seems there are better examples. So you get lots of photos, because it took me a long time to find this. Edited: Douglas says the group of plants is in the bed in Wharton Glade closest to Ludlow Trail and Upper Asian Way.

 

Here are some rhododendrons I found along the way, not mentioned in the blog.
R. rufum


R. coeloneuron - I'm sure that's the name I've known and posted previously (yes, it's on my old database listing), but that's given now as a synonym for R. coeloneurum, which is the name in Garden Explorer.


Here are some more colourful photos, not rhodos. I posted this same shot of Meliosma veitchorum in September, before the leaves turned, because I liked the red petioles. They were even more obvious yesterday.


The Euonymus carnosus at the garden entrance is very showy now.


The Camellia oleifera isn't all that showy, but it's nice seeing camellia flowers so early.


Here is the row of 'Tai-haku' cherries outside the fence at the entrance.

 

Here are some more from the blog - the one with the interrupted indumentum is Rhododendron aganniphum var. flavorufum, about twice as tall as the shrubs at the path and set back a bit.


Here is R. traillianum. You can't tell that it's missing the camphor and peach smell, but that is as described - elusive except on the newest growth.


Across the path, on the south side, is R. wasonii. Douglas confirmed that it isn't supposed to smell particularly strong at this time of year. He added in an email: "The aroma is more obvious with new growth in the spring and summer (the smell is from glands on the back of the leaves)." Am I really going to remember to check out these fragrances in the spring?


Not in the blog, here is R. pachytrichum, at least the leaves. I can't show you my habit photo - it's so blurry it would make you dizzy. It wasn't raining that hard, but still ...


R. clementinae


This was a surprise - R. thomsonii, with some flowers.


And for something almost completely different, in the Carolinian Garden, R. viscosum. It's the hairy flowers that are sticky.

 

I've already done non-rhododendrons in this thread, so I'll just continue the theme of the last plant in the previous posting - autumn leaves, mostly in the north garden. The Cornus kousa that has the showiest flower display is entirely bare of leaves now, but this C. kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl' not very far from it looks spectacular.


Quite near the Rhodendron viscosum is a nice grouping of Hydrangea quercifolia.


I specifically went to this part of the garden to check out the Oxydendrum arboreum, as I'd seen photos from the eastern US of one of these trees with very red leaves, and I just saw a young one at VanDusen Botanical Garden with no fruits but very red leaves. I didn't remember seeing the two young trees here before, but it was impossible to miss them yesterday.

However, the Oxydendrum trees I was seeking would have been easy to miss - hardly any fall colour, except for some yellow. There were fruits at the top, where the leaves have already fallen. I think in general, except for maples, this has not been a good year for anthocyanins, the chemical causing the red colouring in autumn leaves. I have recently found a nice one of these trees near me in the West End, which the owner told me goes bright red in the fall; this year, it hasn't turned yet, and the leaves with some colour seem to be going yellow or brown.


Well, here's another exception - Liquidambar 'Lane Roberts', on the lawn in the north garden.


Here's a new little maple in the winter garden: Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum.


This beech seems to just have the name Fagus sylvatica, also in the winter garden. By the way, note the blue sky and sunshine in this posting. I was getting pretty wet in the Asian Garden, and I was only out there for two hours total.


Here is something completely different: Crataegus aff. mollis. I have never seen a hawthorn so well-armed, though I have just seen photos of C. monogyna with similar thorns. Everything I'm reading talks of the thorns - I guess I can imagine that these are modified branches, so thorns.

 

I took one shot of the Alpine Garden.


The yellow in that photo is Cotinus coggygria, next to the amphitheatre. The red is C. coggygria 'Velvet Cloak'.


This Cotinus 'Grace' is next to the Shop in the Garden.


There are tons of fruits on the Arbutus menziesii in the Garry Oak Meadow.


And there are already flowers on this Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'.

 

@wcutler - you’re absolutely right about reminding us about the « off season » beauty of trees and in this thread - rhodos

plus they are shelter for good garden birds

I have attached a photo I took today of a small mature rhodo I have in a large (very large) black nursery pot (til i make a commitment placement)

i keep it in mainly shade during height of June sunlight

it is a nice small rhodo called « wine and Roses »

i can’t find it on the Am Rhodo website - I wonder why ? http://rhododendron.org/alphalist.asp?Alpha=w&Genus=R&SorH=H

In any event - the under leaf catches my eye often — wow!

i am used to the dusty copper leaf underside (I think on the Mission Bells series) - but this really is burgundy wine color

Here is a sample of it from North Carolina (a Google search result — mine is near the ocean in Vanc BC Canada )
Rhododendron ‘Wine and Roses’ | Kiefer Nursery: Trees, Shrubs, Perennials


Some photos attached below

A couple are mine
Then I took a screen shot off an internet search

i highly recommend this for small gardens at the BC coast —- even in a large patio pot on wheels in shade with proper food and moisture

 

Rhododendron 'Wine & Roses' is a fairly new hybrid from Ken Cox so perhaps the ARS simply hasn't updated their lists lately. I know it is becoming very popular.

Rhododendron ‘Wine & Roses’ – Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden

 

@Margot — yes that makes sense — thé garden expert friend who gave it to me had a 2020 COVID project to stay upbeat — enlarging their personal rhodo collection (incl many species)

I think they have friendly connection with someone at the Weyerhaeuser campus down in Federal Way WA
(And that gorgeous building by I think SOM)

Friend placed order for several plants - and ended up w a couple of Wine and Roses, and I am very lucky to have received the spare

Again highly recommend so far
(I see a similar concept in a Rhodo called « cherries and merlot » )

the history of botanical garden rhodos at the former Weyerhaeuser corporate campus is fascinating isn’t it? Some of those rhodos started out near your current garden in Nanoose.

 

That was an interesting read about the History – Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (rhodygarden.org) ("the Weyerhaeuser campus"), including the bit about the relationship with UBCBG. I attended a festival very near there a few years ago - I wish I'd realized it was there.

 

hello Wendy @wcutler

Lucky you going to Federal Way —- I have alway driven by (wishing one day some day)

I just learned more about this gifted « wine and Roses »

Firstly - Kenneth Cox in Perth Scotland is also responsible for « Everred » (aka Ever Red) which also has off season leaf interest bordering on merlot + chocolate … the TOP of leaf has a dark cocoa color
Rhododendron ‘Everred’ | Briggs Nursery

back to this Wine & Roses —- friend says
in fact it was labelled as the above mentioned « cherries and merlot » and turned out to be « wine and roses » (blossom shape and color = two big clues

tGardens: A desire for winter interest led rhododendron expert and author Ken Cox to experiment with a range of new plants

my garden friend says it is related to a rhodo at UBC-BGarden (plant of the day)
(See below)
Rhododendron neriiflorum var. neriiflorum ‘Rosevallon’


AND - big correction - I thought Mrs Greig might have raised some of those cuttings circa 1960 over at Royston (Vanc Island BC) — tho it appears on the website linked above — thé cuttings were raised in Vanc before going to Eugene, Oregon

that said - I would be surprised if some snippets didn’t deservedly land over there on The Island w Mary Greig (i have seen name spelled a couple of diff ways)