dwarf purple rhododendron

order: ericales
family: ericaceae
genus: rhododendron
species: impeditum

First Story

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7 january 2016

Fowering for the 3rd time in 2015. And that in October, way before winter.

Unbelievable! This dwarf rhodendron flowered 3 times in 2015. Either I've done something terribly wrong or absolutely brilliant... or the irregular temperature pattern has triggered it to flower first in very early spring, then a second time right before summer and again in autumn. After each flush of flowers, new shoots followed. At first I thought these flower buds were for next spring, but hey, there they opened already in October, way before winter. Am I complaining? Absolutely not. It's just that, previously it only flowered once a year. I just want to know what triggered it to grow so aggressively. Was it my new biweekly half-strength feeding regime? Very probable. I disregarded the twice-a-year-only feeding instruction given by professionals and went ahead to treat it just like any other plant I have. I'm actually very pleased with the sight of the purplish flowers against the leathery foliage. So if I can keep it flowering as often as this, I will keep my feeding routine. At any rate, I think the plant still has enough rest over the long winter months to regenerate energy for more growth and more flower in the next growing season.

Update

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25 february 2016

In flower April 2015.

I found some photos that I've taken in the spring last year. The plant was visibly more sparse than it is now due to the damage by frost the year before. I clearly took it as a winter-hardy plant. My experience tells me that this rhododendron is a lot more sensitive to freezing temperature than other rhododendron species I have. So I recommend to move it into a cold frame.

Flower close-up April 2015.