a rhododendron named "graziella"

order: ericales
family: ericaceae
genus: rhododendron
species: ponticum
cultivar: 'Graziella'

First Story

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5 june 2016

60 cm tall bush in 2016.

Whenever it comes to writing a post I have the habit of browsing my recent photo album to see if there is any plant that I haven't written about. There are always some flowering rhododendrons or azaleas among them. I actually want to have more genus diversity in my writing but can't help to put rhododendrons before other plants, if they are flowering so colourfully for me.

I bought this rhododendron as a discounted item at season end in 2012. I was fascinated mainly by its unusual lance-shaped leaves for rhododendrons. My friend and I didn't agree on the appeal of the flower colour displayed on the label but couldn't judge it for sure since there're no flowers on them at the moment. I insisted to go ahead with it nevertheless. It was probably 30 to 40 cm tall at that time.

Once home, I planted it against a tall ivy-covered fence. When it finally flowered the following year in late May, both my friend and I were compelled by the abundant trusses of simple rosy pink flowers without any visible marking, against the dark ivy canvas. The show lasted for less than 2 weeks, after which the funnel-shaped corollas began to fall off and left a sticky mess of nectar on the plant. Over the years, I learned to clean it up the easy way. If it doesn't rain during flowering, you can give it a gentle shower with the help of a garden hose. After shower, I would spend an hour dead-heading the entire plant.

Despite the mixed manure that I applied quite regularly, leaves seem to have reduced in size over the years. In part, the rain shadow of that spot coupled with the dry years we had must have restricted the growth somewhat. Worse is that, it has to compete for both water and nutrients with our neighbour's century-old birch with its far reaching roots. I actually dug out a huge clump of massive roots with lots of thirsty fibrous roots belonging to the tree once when planting some azaleas around it. That being said, I actually find the dwarfed leaves quite adorable so I'll just leave it be until we find a bigger garden to move to.

2016 flowers close-up.