The Pacific NW got hit with severe cold back in November.

Many of my Rhodies are not in peak health, due to a constant battle with disease. That's probably why R. euonymifolium looks a bit sickly. The cold didn't help. It should be OK but I'll throw something over it before another cold spell hits. This is a hardyish Vireya from Vietnam. It is closely related to R. kawakamii, which I also have. They have small, waxy, bright yellow flowers in the autumn.

I have 2 specimens of R. nutallii. One or both of them might be 'sinonutallii'. One of them was chlorotic and poorly rooted. It looks pretty sad. The other one sustained some tissue damage but the leaves look like they will survive and even the buds look OK. I know for a fact that the buds are not very hardy, having lost a lot of Maddenia buds last year.

I'd better cover them up too before the next freeze. They are outdoors because they are too big to be indoors, and I do not have a greenhouse. I put them in a somewhat sheltered spot but probably not ideal. Temps hit 22F / -5.5C which is pretty cold for them.

R. maddenii still looks OK. I have ssp. crassum, that used to be called 'manipurensis'. It has big, glossy leaves and looks very tropical. The plant came through fine last year but I lost the buds, which was a terrible disappointment.

R. edgeworthii bloomed last year and I hope it will next year too.

I have a plant that was sold to me as R. formosum var inaequale, that does not seem to be as tender as it seems that var inaequale SHOULD be. It has survived numerous hard winters. The leaves don't strike me as being particularly large either. Came from the Rhododendron Species Foundation. R. formosum has been a surprisingly hardy Maddenia type. I have one clone marked "Grieg's hardiest", but none of my formosums have ever given me any trouble as regards hardiness. This is potentially a spectacular flower. The flowers are large compared to the size of the skinny branches and modest leaves. Smell good too I seem to recall.

Rhododendron ovatum is fairly hardy. It is an unusual species rarely grown, with "flat" flowers. Probably fragrant (if I can ever get it to bloom). Interesting looking foliage.