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rhododendron (orange)

westgate
12 years ago

Rhododendrons

I live on the Sunshine Coast in BC.... 8b or 9 zone.... and saw a magnificent rhodo covered in orange blooms. It was about 6 ft high and bushy. Can anyone suggest what variety it is?

Comments (9)

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    No, there are too many orange ones around to name it just from that. 'Autumn Gold'? 'Fabia'? 'King of Shrubs'?

  • jean001a
    12 years ago

    Perhaps a deciduous azalea. My screaming orange is blooming right now.

  • nwhorthappy
    12 years ago

    The American Rhododendron Society has a useful Web site (www.rhododendron.org) that lets you search for multiple parameters (color orange, late mid-season bloom, etc.), or you can just click through their A-Z list and see photos.

    I especially like the section where various chapters of the society list their recommendations; I think there's a B.C. chapter. That might help you narrow the possibilities to one that does well in B.C.

    Here is a link that might be useful: American Rhododendron Society

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    If instead of an evergreen rhododendron a larger deciduous azalea, with large flowers then liable to be a Knaphill-Exbury hybrid. Many unselected seedlings of these have been sold and planted over the years, in addition to vegetatively propagated named forms.

  • botann
    12 years ago

    Here's one of those deciduous orange un-named rhododendrons in my garden. Did it look like this?

    {{gwi:259538}}

  • boxofrox
    12 years ago

    As b-boy said it could be the most famous/infamous of the K/E group called Gibraltar. This is one I rescued from another garden..........



  • westgate
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Wow! I though I had found it in a book, "Giant Orange" an ilam hybrid.... but now I'm having second thoughts!

  • Embothrium
    12 years ago

    There are a great many kinds of rhododendron and azalea hybrids. Not all of them encountered here have names but are instead unnamed seedlings. With highly popular types like these a given specimen might turn out to be one the homeowner or a previous occupant grew themselves from open-pollinated seeds. Particularly when the type of plant makes large, easily noticed pod-like fruits.

  • botann
    12 years ago

    When I was working at a nursery in the 70s, I field planted 4,000 deciduous Azalea seedlings from one gallon pots once. Very few were culled. Unnamed seedlings are out there alright.
    It was much easier to propagate them from seeds rather than cuttings. Most people are interested in the blossom color, rather than the variety, and buy them when they are blooming.
    Mike