VIREYA VINE
ISSUE #80, NOVEMBER 2006
PUBLISHED BY THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF THE RHODODENDRON SPECIES FOUNDATION
R.S.F. PO BOX 3798, FEDERAL WAY, WA. 98063
E. White Smith, Editor
From Fran Rutherford Port Orchid, Washington
Dear Vireya Vine September 2006
This summer I have been moving my Vireyas out of pots into bins located in a medium sized glass greenhouse. The mixture in the first bin is equal parts of chunky peat, perlite and bark. In the second
bin, the mixture is the same except fine peat is used in place of chunky peat. The third bin is 1 cubic foot of dolomite, 1 cubic foot of compost, 2 cubic feet of fine peat moss, 2 cubic feet each of three different types of bark. In pots, some of my plants were often a bit off color due to chlorosis. Now all have recovered and growing rapidly.
The best performer, by far, has been Lochiae from Mt. Finnigan. E. White gave me this plant some years ago and it has always been a good performer but a slow grower. Now that it is growing in a soil mixture the flower color is what it should be and the growth is rapid. If you are looking for a plant that flowers heavily, try this one. Fran Rutherford
From George Klump California
Dear VV September 1, 2006
To Fran, noting what you have done here which is great, I would offer one caveat on ‘bin #2’ as you have described it here. We began experimenting with coarse peat moss (“chunky” as you have termed it) nearly 30 years ago and found it far superior to the fine grain peat by any measure. In fact no one in our ARS chapter will use the ‘fine grain’ type at all, only the coarse peat. We have found that it is very dangerous to the overall health of our plants for this reason: it easily cakes and becomes hard as cement thereby shedding water like off a duck’s back. Vermiculite will also cake and cause problems, since it is an industrial byproduct, not a natural one, as is perlite.
We did some experiments at the UCLA botanical gardens about 30 years back with different mixes for rhododendrons, both lepidote and elepidote, and found that the mix of equal parts by volume of coarse peat moss, perlite and redwood bark (1 - 1 - 1) was by far superior for all sorts of botanical reasons. We also experimented with compost and fir bark and, in the case of compost, found that it broke down after about 5 years and returned to soil. The coarse peat moss, perlite and redwood bark mixture was still going strong after nearly 15 years, so we have stuck with that one.
The redwood bark breaks down so slowly that it is almost not noticeable over a reasonable time. There is always a little tannic acid bleeding from it which helps to keep the surrounding soil acidic. This tends to keep weeds down, too, we have found, although it is not a panacea. Kellogg produces it in 3 cubic foot bags under the name of “Big R” it contains very minor amounts of humus and urea.
E. White Smith has a similar mixture which also works very well. It is made up of coarse peat moss, perlite and orchid bark, the latter being really Douglas fir which is in abundance in Oregon.
Because pumice is readily available there, too, he has a mixture which is (1 - 1 - 2) coarse peat moss, pumice and Douglas fir bark which sold under the name of ‘orchid bark’. The bark he uses in two parts instead of one. However, I suspect any good bark will work.
We found that certain kinds of bark broke down relatively faster than others, one being pine bark which seems to break down rather quickly at least in our soils. Dolomite on the other hand would be, one would suspect, slightly alkaline. Maybe not.
At any rate that is our experience over the past 30+ years with lepidotes and elepidotes. As you have found out, planting them in the ground is really best. Their roots seem to enjoy the freedom. My soil here is largely decomposed granite which drains rapidly. I have probably 80+ vireyas and elepidotes outside in the soil and they all grow beautifully. I use the mixture to start them off, when they are first planted. Then, they're on their own! Drainage is the key to everything we have found. Vireyas seem to be able to take all the water one can give them so long as it drains away just about as fast as it comes in.
Out in nature where seeds make the difference on survival, vireya seeds (with 2 tails) often land in trees and take root on tree branches. Large amounts of rain hit them as they grow on the branches. However, the water rolls off the tree branch just about as fast as it falls from the sky. That's the way we view lepidotes and elepidotes here, too.
As for fertilizing them, I tend to do that Easter, 4th of July and Labor Day. High phosphorus (10 - 30 - 10) on the first two dates with high nitrogen (30 - 10 - 10) on Labor Day. Maybe some Nutracote, too, sprinkled around (13 - 13 - 13) just to provide a level amount of food, since it releases itself over a period of 6 months. That’s just what I do. I find that fertilizer should not be too strong, since it seems to be more effective with vireyas, if it is not. Careful with ‘bin #2.
George Klump
Southern California Chapter ARS
From Joel Freudenthal Tualatin, OR.
Dear VV September 15, 2006
Seeing the Vine on the internet, induced me to write a few words. First Alliete is available (at least 2 yrs) in California, under the Monterey Bay brand. It does seem to work, but can not be used all the time, because the fungus will become resistant, which has happened at some nurseries.
I was really enjoying the conversation and thought I might add my thoughts about Vireyas, temp. and the fluctuations of temperature in the greenhouse and in the ground. I am in agreement with everyone’s experiences with Vireyas. They do seem to stop growing when the temperature gets to cold or to hot. Vireyas I am growing seem most active when the temp is warmer in the daytime 60 to 85 +/- 5 F and cooler at night. A temp drop seems to be appreciated and can go as low as 40 F +/- 5 with some vireyas without skipping a beat. When the temp gets this low (40+/-5), in the daytime, it seems that I do lose some flower buds on some vireyas and some maddenia Rhod. Maybe even loss or damage of young growth. I really agree with Mr. Klump’s observation about growing in pots and temperature change. Also, this is the problem with my greenhouse. Until the daytime temperatures cool down here in Portland below 80 F. It seems better to leave my potted vireyas outside under a shade cloth. I think the pots (and plants) are heating up to much in full sun or in the greenhouse and causing problems.
I have been trying to bury potted plants in the summer, and it really seems to improve the plants ability to take full sun or some of the highest day time and night time temps and not suffer for it. I think that you might have to be concerned about drainage and keep an eye on your Vireyas, maybe creating some kind of “French” drain-like runoff system. A lot of people are now planting their Vireyas in permanent raised beds in the greenhouse and outside with great success. I would guess that it helps with the temperature highs and lows of the year, reducing the dormancy, bud loss, and new growth damage (and even loss of the plant itself due to stress).
Joel Freudenthal
Tualatin, OR.
From Roland Bazley Auckland, New Zealand
Dear Vireya Vine October 2006
Well White, I owe you a vote of thanks for your suggestion that I contact Brian and Jan Oldham over in Meadow bank in Auckland. It was a shock to the system to see what they are doing with Vireyas. I had come to believe that bright midday sun was to be avoided. That is plain wrong if the 2m. trees (Vireyas) they are growing are considered. Many species and hybrids are blooming profusely at their place in full all day South Pacific sun and the sunburn I had previously found on my Vireyas was nowhere to be seen. I have had no problems setting flowerbuds and subsequent blooming with my lower sun regimen, but it does restrict where I can place plants and the shelter/shade makes for generally very pretty foliage, the shelter also helps with the wind where I am. I will slowly acclimatize some to full sun and see how they go. On that matter, do you have ideas about which species/hybrids may be most suited? I have been wondering if leaf size/texture could be an indicator. A small shiny leaf such as on “Plum Pudding” or sp. goodenoughii might work?
Next surprise was the ground planting. All my plants are potted, both Vireyas and others. Not so at the Oldhams. The secret seems to be in the medium. The C.A.N. treated Pinus radiata bark fines they use exclusively is neat because it is readily available and an eco friendly use of waste from plantation timber harvesting. To learn that was all their Vireyas are growing in requires some adjustment of thinking. However like most great ideas, once the thought goes into it, beautifully simple. (Why couldn't I think of that?). It’s true I have read from the Vireya groups about mixes and bark use, but seeing is believing...
Brian’s methods of propagation, both by seed and cuttings have been the same: ingenious and simple at the same time. I have already implemented some of his ideas. I plan to stay in touch with Brian and Jan and hope to learn more from them.
I am particularly enjoying the back issues of Vireya Vine, and especially the Anthology of articles on Vireyas from the A.R.S.
Inside I have found an informative and readable discourse by an expert on every query I have made of it so far, with still many pages to read through. Almost makes me want to go to PNG to find some of my own Vireyas. (just kidding, I have flown over the island many times and no way would I want to take on the jungle there in the highlands or down at the coast either for that matter).
Regards, Roland Bazley
PS I have transplanted some Vireyas to test how they go in this new medium. One immediately noticeable advantage has been the stability of the mix in wind. That is, the interlocking character of the bark has been holding the newly repotted plants well in position during the last week of high winds (up to 40kts) around here. I had already repotted before the winds arrived and having in the past seen freshly repotted plants pushed over in the pot in spring winds when I was using a soil based mix, it was a relief and a pleasant surprise to see these plants still upright and stable in the pots. The same winds have snapped the young tops off my more exposed Roses and Grapes and shredded the leaves on several others as well as tearing the flower buds off my Oranges and Mandarins. I try to shelter things as best as possible but the wind is pretty persuasive. Sometimes you just hang on to your hat. Trusting you are enjoying the arrival of fall colours.
PSS I have asked around to get some detail. C.A.N. is short for Calcium Ammonium Nitrate. I am told the treatment is added as a nutrient to speed up the microbial decomposition process. It also stabilises the nitrogen levels as the bark leaches nitrogen from the surrounding media. It is deployed over an 8 to 12 week period onto new bark. “Fines” refers to bark particle size. I think the bits that fall through the grading drums are gathered up. They seem to vary from almost dust through 6~8mm in size, the variations serving to provide density. A big plus was the naturally anti phytophthora action of the bark itself. The manufacturer told me the process originated in the US so there may be someone near you making this product.
He also told me of a mix (per cu m. of CAN bark fines) for Rhododendrons incorporating 15~20% coir which had been flushed for a period with fresh running water when first expanded to reduce sodium chloride levels which he said can be elevated in coir products. He added the coir to assist in water retention. In addition he mixed 1kg Saturaid wetting agent to break down the surface tension of irrigated water and mixed in 3kg. Osmocote plus 9 month. His explanation for this was that once the CAN treatment was completed the bark was stable but had used much of the nutritive value in the treatment. He told me that the Osmocote was most effective mixed into the bark. I have always lazily sprinkled the granules around the base of the Vireyas and left it to dissolve over time, apparently much reducing its effectiveness. I asked him about using ground Pumice or sand and he said whilst these were good, the above mix was complete and didn’t need them. The above mix has a pH of 5.5~5.8.
Well that’s all I have on CAN for now. Hopefully I can get results like the Oldhams have achieved. I have seen some comments on the web about using Redwood bark in your area, also saying that it has some protective action against Phytophthora, maybe it is more or less the same as radiata bark for this application. Whether or not it needs CAN treatment is the thing. I have also seen comments about the risk of disease from coir sourced from some countries. Kind Regards
Roland Bazley
Another new Vireya book. (At least about a Vireya person). The book is “Oswald Blumhardt, New Zealand Plant Pioneer” by Catherine Ballard. Published by Touchwood Books, Box 610, Hastings, New Zealand. Their web site is www.touchwoodbooks.co.nz I have 6 copies that I will sell and mail in the USA. Outside the US please go to their web site and order from them. The price in the US will be $35 postpaid.
Many of us Vireya nuts have met Oz Blumhardt over the years. He was one of the early important Vireya growers. I have been at his nursery north of Auckland at least four times and knew OZ as a friend. Oz passed away this year. He was a plant hunter and collector. The book is about his life, his nursery, his introductions, and his plant hunting in the south pacific area. 119 pages in soft cover with 16 pages of color photos. Very nice and well done.
I also hope to have another 8 copies of George Argent’s “Vireya Species book” soon. If you are really serious about Vireya Rhododendrons you need this book. You can get it from the Royal Horticultural Society in London, on the web at www.rhs.org.uk (outside the USA). If you want one of the 8 copies I have on order you need to let me know (I have 3 copies sold already). Not sure of the price but it should be about $70US. The book is also available at the RSF gift shop. Retail price is $100.
Contact E. White Smith at Bovees Nursery 503-244-9341 or E-mail info@bovees.com
From Graham Price Melbourne, Australia
Dear VV, November 2006
Terribly sorry to see that you didn’t have any letters or articles to print in the last issue of The Vireya Vine. We ‘Newsletter Editors’ cannot let that happen – so I am writing this letter for your next issue. I could go into a deep analysis of why there aren’t many people writing letters or notes on Vireyas for newsletters, but it would probably be rather boring for your readers. So I will write on vireyas instead – much more interesting. I have recently been reviewing the results of a hybridising experiment I have been conducting over the past 5-6 years. I find the results interesting and informative and maybe your readers will too.
Brian Clancy (the same Brian Clancy whose letter you included in the last issue of the ‘Vine’) once told an audience at a monthly meeting of the local Victorian Branch of The Australian Rhododendron Society (sometime in 1996 I think) that when doing hybridizing one should try to use as parents the very best forms of species or hybrids and not just use whatever happened to be flowering at the time.
He stated that he had followed this rule and made several crosses using the best varieties of species he could lay his hands on and that he expected some outstanding results. I recall he mentioned the Tom Lelliot form of laetum, the Michael Black form of zoelleri and phaeopeplum (didn’t mention a particular form of this) as being wonderful parents. Brian suggested that if one did use quality parents then one could expect to get a much higher percentage of quality offspring than usual – the usual proportion being only about 5%. That is, only 5 out of every 100 seedlings from a cross are usually worth keeping, the rest should be destroyed.
At a Society show about a year later Brian was selling small seedlings of some of his crosses and I bought two, both (phaeopeplum x zoelleri) x superbum. These two plants developed to be quite similar, but one is definitely better than the other – large flowers, 5-6 per truss, white flushed pink/mauve with a lovely perfume, new leaves that remain deep tawny brown and velvety rough for a long time on a tall-growing plant. I regard this as one of my ‘best’ vireyas. Brian was certainly right about outstanding seedlings coming from quality parents.
I had another hybrid that I was quite fond of because of its flower colour, which was a peachy orange – {(laetum x aurigeranum) x zoelleri Island Sunset) F2}. That is, the {(l x a) z} hybrid was ‘selfed’. It is a much smaller and compact plant with round, shiny light green leaves and it always caught my eye as being something different and better than most – another of my ‘best’ vireyas.
So, when I was at the peak of my hybridizing frenzy 1999 I remembered Brian Clancy’s advice and chose to make the cross between these two of my ‘best’ vireyas. I knew that the big differences between these two plants was likely to produce a wide range of characteristics in the seedlings so I set myself some high expectations. I also committed to keeping a reasonably large number of the seedlings, at least up to flowering stage.
Over the next 5 years up to flowering (I don’t push my plants into early flowering – some are only now flowering for the first time) I noticed a wide range of leaf shapes and colours (smaller, green and shiny to tawny/plum and velvety) and different plant habits (small and bushy – tall and lanky). Some of the early flowers also showed signs of quality, though there were a few that were obviously rather poor.
Earlier this year I still had about 160 of these seedlings – all in black plastic pots in a shadehouse - and some were getting rather tall and difficult to manage. So, I contrived to get access to (that is, take over and manage) a single empty garden bed at the foot of the apartment building where I live in central Melbourne. The bed is 8.5m by 3m and I planted all these seedlings in the one bed, 40cm apart in seven rows. My logic to justify planting them all together, the better ones and the bad ones (plus one plant of both parents) is that I see merit in comparing between the offspring and with the parents and that, even though there would be big differences between the plants and flowers, there would be a single pallet or theme that connected them all. There would be value in the bad plants even if only to show off the better plants.
Flowering has continued as the plants made adjustments from the pots into an open garden bed. As prophesied by Brian there are some real beauties among them - large bright pinks, orange/pinks, subtle mauves flushed white and even one pure white with a lime-yellow throat. I look forward with some eagerness to these plants settling in, growing bushier and flowering more consistently – many years of enjoyment.
My estimate is that if I didn’t have the plan, or the capacity, to keep all these seedlings I would probably select about 40-50% as worthwhile keeping – much higher than the 5%. Though what I would have done with 65-80 plants I really don’t know.
However, what I can now do is take cuttings from the very best of the plants and distribute them to members of the Society so they too can enjoy the ‘best’ of my vireyas. As I have said elsewhere, the only way to save and persist with a particular variety is to give it away – but that’s another story. Cheers, Graham Price (lithic01@bigpond.net.au)
From Phil Bunch on the Internet
I note that vireya species vary a lot in their native elevation ranges. Some are limited to narrow bands while others occur over a range of more than 2000 meters (6560 feet). In tropical areas this suggests that at least some species occur from the hot lowlands near sea level to cool uplands where temperature ranges are probably from about 10-12C (50-54F) at night to 21-25C (70-75F) during the day. Some of course would occur in even cooler conditions where the base elevation is higher.
I am wondering if those species with broad elevation ranges tend to be more adaptable in cultivation than species which are known only from narrow elevation ranges. It is possible that there are "ecotypes" within the species that have more narrow ranges of adaptability to temperature. If this later condition is common, than the overall range of adaptation might well be less.
A related question regards the transmission of such adaptability to hybrid progeny. Do the offspring of species with broad natural elevation ranges inherit a tendency toward broader tolerance of temperature fluctuation?
To provide a context for these questions I am looking for plant material that is likely to perform well in Andean South America. Between Venezuela and Peru there are many cities at elevations between sea level and more than 2500 meters (8400 feet). I would like to select plants that are well-adapted to broad elevation bands if possible. Also, species and hybrids adapted to more narrow ranges may provide opportunities within their zones of adaptation. Another objective is to understand what breeding material offers the best opportunities for the development and marketing of vireyas for landscape and container growing in the major cities of the Andes. Thanks, Phil Bunch
From Lucie Sorensen-Smith and her helpers November 2006
The answers to your very important questions will certainly widen the use of Vireyas for commercial use and that will help to secure the future of Vireyas in the cultivated plant world. We hope that in the future you would share the results of your research with the Vireya yahoo group. We can-not answer all of your questions regarding the adaptability of Vireyas but can offer our experiences as growers of over 125 different species and 500 hybrid stock plants. Our species range from R. saxafragoides and other alpines to R. zoelleri, hellwigii and many others.
We are in Portland Oregon at about 400 feet elevation. Our temperatures range from 35 to 38F at night in the greenhouse during the winter, to a high in the 90sF in the summer. Humidity is low in the summer -- 20 to 30% and higher at other times. These are not "ideal" conditions, of course and we modify them as much as we can by using shade cloth, fans, open windows and brief automatic misting on the hottest days. We use a natural gas heater in the winter.
Our conditions do show however, how adaptable most vireya species and the hybrids are, if you give them some consideration. All of our plants are in pots and they look very healthy, vigorous and produce flowers regularly. The only damage we have observed from high heat is stunted new growth on small leafed hybrids in the summer (alpine types). Our plants would produce more growth during the winter months if we provided more heat and longer daylight hours (Portland gets down to an 8 hour day in December).
From our customers we have learned that vireyas do not do as well in areas with hot, humid conditions, both day and night. In Portland we are fortunate because the nights are always cool and the humidity is usually moderate. Since the cooler weather has returned - October and November - we have noticed more vitality and growth in spite of decreasing daylight.
We do have a list of hybrids that we think should do well in low, hot, humid areas like southern Florida. This list includes hybrids of species like R. javanicum (some R. javanicums are from sea level in the wild, not all of them though). Certainly hybrids are more adaptable to different climates than species are. That is why we select the good hybrid forms and throw the bad ones away. A good example is R. saxifragoides and its hybrids. The species itself is very difficult to keep alive, but its hybrids like R. 'Saxon Glow' or 'Hot Tropic' x sax are quite easy to keep happy. We have even resorted to using crushed ice on hot summer afternoons to pamper our plant of R. sax and it produced two flowers this summer. There may be only 3 or 4 plants of R. saxifragoides alive in the USA.
Lucie Sorensen-Smith, Vireya manager and Associates,
E White Smith and George Watson
at Bovees Nursery in Portland. Or
(As vireya growers we could be faced with the prospect of someday growing and flowering over 300 vireya species. This goal is not really practical because all of the 300+ are not even in cultivation and there are a lot of species native to very high altitudes that we probably will never be able to grow. Many people think that vireyas require special conditions but this is not entirely true. Vireyas are rhododendrons and rhododendrons like outside atmosphere. Rhododendrons world wide are plants that grow on the edge of the forest where the light is and sometimes that even means that they must grow in the tops of trees to get that light. Only a few species grow in the forest and that might be only because that is where they were when the forest got bigger. EWS)
From Jane and Peter Adams The big island of Hawaii
Dear Vireya Vine November 2006
The Great Vireya Sunshine Experiment
First, a bit about us and why we’re doing this “crazy” thing....
We moved from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii two years ago, bringing with us the beginnings of our nursery -- mostly vireya stock plants, Hawaiian Native plants and some general tropicals. We are located at the 1100’ elevation southwest of Pahoa, HI, outside of Hilo. We get approximately 140” of rain a year, though we do get periods of a week or two of no rain that feels very much like a drought. Long-time gardeners here and friends in the Vireya club tell us that they have had several long droughts in the past.
We settled the pots on benches along the edge of a large paperbark windbreak that provided shade, though really too much of it as most were stretching out for sunlight. Our goal since moving has been to get our stock plants in the ground, and we’re finally on to that task after a year of house and greenhouse building.
To put it short and sweet, other than the massive windbreaks or jungles of invasive species, there is little shade available to create optimal planting areas. Like most nursery folk, we’re also not at a point where erecting large shade areas is financially feasible. Hence the title of this article. I’ve always had the suspicion that these plants can take more sun than recommended, so we have the perfect “opportunity” (need? requirement?) to test that theory. Oh yes... we’re not risking everything -- all of the plants that are going out have been propagated and are growing in our greenhouse on certified benches. If our experiment is a bust, we’ll be out a lot of work, but not our basic stock.
We’ve cleared a large space of the junk trees, shrubs and other unwanted invasive plants. The ground is approximately 3/4 volcanic rock and some peat-like soil. We’ve planted groups of 2-4 of each variety in fairly tight groupings. Method of planting is to scoop a hole about 1/2 the depth of the pot, do some root pruning, and then use 3/8” minus cinder as the planting media rather than the soil/rock. This leaves the top of the plant a bit above ground to ensure good drainage (really not a problem here at all).
We’ve added mulch chippings from the clearing -- mostly a combo of paperbark trees, guava trees and some other shrubs we’ve chipped up as we’re clearing. We’re planting out potted vireyas of every size, except for rooted cuttings. We’ve 3 gallons, 2 gallons, 1 gallons, 5 1/2” azalea pots and 6” azalea pot sized going out. Ages range from 4 years to 10 months. In time, some of our native and tropical plantings will provide some of this area with a bit more shade, but that will take 1-2 years.
The first group of stock plants went out in April 2006, and so have been in the ground all summer. The only watering I’ve done for them was in May when we had a couple weeks of really dry weather just after they’d gotten planted. That planting was of 18 varieties, 64 plants in all. While the sunshine here is not like the hot baking S. California sunshine, it can get pretty intense since we’re so close to the equator at about 21 degrees, about the same as Cabo San Lucas. Many days have cloudy mornings, partly cloudy afternoons and bits of rain morning and nights -- “trade wind weather”. Perfect Vireya weather, but then there are the weeks with nothing but full sun.
Those first 18 plants are: Hilo Rainbow, Princess Alexandra, Kisses, Flamenco Dancer, Baram Bay, Tropic Alpine Ruby, Cinnamon Pink, Great Scent-sations, Popcorn, Harry Wu, Terebinthia, Lucie Sorenson, Simbu Sunset, Tropic Tango, Kamrau Bay, Vladimir Bukowski, Jock’s Cairn and Lake Habbema.
At 6 months in the ground and one pretty dry and hot summer, we’ve lost two Tropic Alpine Rubies, and one Popcorn. Princess Alexandra has been continuously in bloom, Harry Wu set many buds and bloomed profusely, Flamenco Dancer has been slow to settle in. All are showing deeper, more red leaf color than usual and not as much new growth as they normally would in greater shade. However, they’re clearly hanging in there pretty well. Sunny’s Brother, also planted out in full sun is showing bright green leaves and beautiful copper new growth. The full sun is helping control it’s interstem length. Lake Habbema and Tropic Tango have new blooms. Jock’s Cairn looks to be happy, though not quite ready to bloom out there. We’ve lost Tropic Alpine Ruby in a shadier bed and also in pots on benches outside, so it’s troubles could be rooted in dislike of warm humid environments. We gotten hit with a bit of twig borer and lace-wing damage in September, but that’s not been fatal to the victims. Winter is coming, so they should get a breather and some nice damp weather for 6 months or so.
What’s next? We just finished a week-long project to place another 50 varieties in an adjacent area, for a total of 142 plants more plants -- again groupings of 2-4 plants for each variety. They were placed, holes scraped, taken out of their pots and root balls roughed up along with some pretty vigorous root-pruning.
Same variety of sizes and ages as above. Same method of planting as noted above. We watered them in after fertilizing (nice sprinkle of Nutricoat). Tomorrow we’ll be giving them another splash of water before and after adding mulching, also same as above. The we start more clearing for another hundred or so varieties in propagation now.
The second group plants are: Triumphans, Sirunki Lake, Pretty Lady, R. zoelleri X R. viriousum ‘Island Sunset’, Maneau Ra, Show Stopper, Aleksandr Iseyevich, Pink Ray, Red Adair, R. aurigeranum X R. zoelleri ‘Golden Gate’, Queensland, Doris Mossman, Sweet Wendy, Pink Swan, Tashbaan, Cambri lake, Ne Plus Ultra, Taylori, Charming Valentino, Narnia, Hansa Bay, Evita, R. laetum ‘Strybings Best’ (RSF 78/088), Candy, Tropic Glow, Super Fleur, Cyril, Athanasius, Kiandra, Belisar, Little Maria, Cara Mia, Golden Charm, Cristo Rey, Red Prince X R. viriosum (HO28), Highland Arabesque, Emmanuel, Star Posy, Satan’s Gift X Flamenco Dancer, Greer’s Pink, Fireplum, Rocky’s Mom, Red Prince, Apricot Souffle, R. laetum X zoelleri ‘P. Schick #1’, R. aurigeranum X Pink Delight, Sweet Jane and Saxon Glow.
We did not try to select for what we thought could handle the sun, but rather what needed to go in the ground as soon as possible. We are keeping most of the species varieties a little more protected, but mostly because we don’t have the depth in that collection in older plants as yet. Lots of young ‘uns, though, so they will be a target come next year if this proves successful.
We’ll keep you posted over the next year or so on progress of these plantings. We feel that the proof of the pudding is not this first season, but how they do after the second. We’ll post some photos on our nursery website (www.whitecloudnursery.com) in the next week or so to give you can get a feel for how they look now, and will keep you posted with updates in the Vine.
Pete & Jane Adams, White Cloud Nursery
PO Box 1387
Pahoa, HI 96778
ww.whitecloudnursery.com
From Fran Rutherford RSF Vireya supporter November 22, 2006
We have renovated RSF vireya greenhouse. The old outdated greenhouse near the RSF office was basically reduced to its bare bones. The old covering was replaced with triple wall polycarbonate 6-foot wide panels to recover the entire structure. A mist control system was installed. A Wadsworth Step 50 Controller which provides two stages of heating, three stages of cooling and day and night set back for energy saving has also been installed. For the first time we will also have shade curtains. This $60,000 renovation was funded entirely by contributions from vireya lovers. Volunteers did most of the “pick and shovel work”. Our primary vireya collection will be transferred from pots to two long bins. The other half of the greenhouse will be used for propagation etc as before. The soil mixture for the bins will be two parts small red rock, two parts bark and one part axis. Axis is a soil amendment made from naturally occurring diatomaceous earth. This mixture provides excellent drainage. We have also established a Vireya Endowment Fund and would welcome your donations. Fran
__._,_.___
You can read this and see the photos of the new Vireya greenhouse and some of the plantings on the RSF web site.
Go to www.rhodiegarden.org then to Vireyas and then you can read some of the Vireya Vines
See Chris Callard’s wonderful Web site at www.vireya.net
Get into this group and let’s talk about Vireyas www.groups.yahoo.com/group/vireya
VIREYA NURSERIES
The Bovees Nursery (Lucie Sorensen-Smith) Rhododendron Species Foundation
1737 SW Coronado (E. White Smith) PO Box 3798 www.rhodiegarden.org
Portland, OR 9721 9 USA Federal Way, WA 98063 USA
(503)-244-9341 or 1-800-435-9250 (253)-838-4646 Mail Order
E-mail info@bovees.com www.bovees.com E-mail rsf@rhodygarden.org
Catalog on the internet (Mail Order)
Christopher Fairweather
Glendoick Gardens (Kenneth & Peter Cox The Garden Centre, High Street
Glendoick, Perth Mail Order Beaulieu, Hampshire www.fairweathers.co.uk/rhodo.hymcotland
Scotland, UK PH2 7N www.glendoick .com England SO42 7YR
Phone Nursery 073 886 205
D. & PJ. Brown Te Puna Cottage Gardens (John Kenyon)
Vernom Road Te Puna Road, RD6 E-mail TePuna.Cott.Gdns@xtra.co.nz
Te Puna, Tauranga E-mail brownz@actrix.co.nz Tauranga, New Zealand web site at www.vireya.co.nz
New Zealand Phone (07)552-4966 Mail Order NZ only Phone (07)552-5756
www.homepages.ihug.co.nz/~brownnz
Mark Jury Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust
Tikorangi, RD 43 E-mail jury@xtra.co.nz Carrington Rd. RD4
Waitara, North Taranaki New Plymouth E-mail pukeiti@pukeiti.org.nz
New Zealand New Zealand web site at www.pukeiti.org.nz
Vireya Valley Nursery The Vireya Venue
Woori-Yallock Road 2 Clifford Street www.vireyavenue.com
Cockatoo, Victoria 3781 Maleny, Queensland 4552
Australia Australia Phone (07)5494-2179
Neil & Kathryn Puddey Nursery Pacific Island Nursery (Sherla Bertelmann & Richard Marques)
PO Box 126, Woolgoolga, NSW Mail Order P. O. Box 1953 E-mail pacislenursery@interpac.net
Australia E-mail npuddey@bigpond.net.au Keaau, HI 96749 (808)966-9225 Mail Order
www.vireyaworldwide.net.au www.pacificislandnursery.com They also handle the Vireya seed exchange. WorldWide.
White Cloud Nursery, Pete & Jane Adams, <
