So many rhododendrons are still in bloom everywhere, and I didn't even look at the deciduous azaleas that are coming out too. I posted those last year - May 2018 in the garden. Here is just a taste. One of my favourites, usually for the leaves that are partially covered in white tomentum other times of the year, is Rhododendron degronianum subsp. yakushimanum (also called R. yakushimanum) has flowers ranging from very pink to very white. I took the name from the tag across the trail, not sure if this is the 'Mist Maiden' cultivar or not. Another favourite is Rhododendron cinnabarinum, with smooth dinner-bell looking flowers, different plants with flowers coloured yellow to red. These two trees were next to each other, both red flowers, but quite different. The flowers on the first were more open and more translucent. And the dark leaves on the first one were stunning. More to come - my morning coffee beckons.
Here are some more showy rhododendrons. Rhododendron augustinii, a very big display. Rhododendron vernicosum. It was the red bracts that I liked on this. Rhododendron glanduliferum has no flowers (must be yet), but the bracts and the fruits were showy enough. I had another with red bracts, but it was a Rhododendron calophytum, which was mentioned the April blog, so I added that photo to April 2019 in the Garden - Rhododendron trees. In the north garden, Rhododendron stenopetalum is sort-of the opposite of showy - skinny leaves and skinny flower petals. And lots of hairs. It's macro-showy.
'Mist Maiden' is a yakushimanum seedling, may be of hybrid origin. The last one is stenopetalum var. linearifolium.