Rhododendron Blue Diamond

My Rhododendron 'Blue Diamond' is meant to flower in March, this is it today.


DSC_0058 by Bonsai eejit, on Flickr


DSC_0057 by Bonsai eejit, on Flickr

I had noticed that the flower buds set for next year looked rather swollen and over the last few days they have opened. Many more to come by the looks of it. It's been a strange year weather wise here in the UK. This may have played a part or perhaps the flower removal in February have forced it to flower a second time.

My Blue Diamond is doing the very same thing. It's dark now but I'll take a pic tomorrow. I have done nothing at all to mine this year so I think you are right about it being our bizarre weather.

LOOKING GOOD!!!!

First one I have seen. Why isn't everyone growing these?

JimLewis wrote:First one I have seen. Why isn't everyone growing these?

Me too...they are pretty!

Mine is a shohin one but I have a chuhin in development as well. I think they are sold as garden centre plants over here rather than as bonsai.

Ian, very odd indeed that the whole plant should bloom at this time, but it's very beautiful. Might as well enjoy it.

Jim, I got one of these about 15 years ago and after watching it slowly decline over 3-4 years, I found out they can't handle the heat here. If you're in the mountains up there in western NC, you can probably grow them.

A not so good pic of mine in Spring 2011. It's leafed out a lot since then.



Height is only 6inches from top of pot

Had someone else on Facebook say that his is flowering now too, it must just be down to the seasons this year!

This one was dug out of a garden. I would say they are more temperamental than an azalea for example but I think they are worth it.

Nice tree Ian. My landscape Rhodo is blooming now as well.

So that's probably why I've not seen one; I live and have lived for the last 45 years, where summers are in the mid to high 90s. Dang.

Someone please bring one to the Carolina Bonsai Expo next month. <g>

Just had a reply on my blog that might shed a little light [pun intended] on my it flowered twice this year.

'I've always understood that many spring flowering plants flower as a response to day length, and it's not uncommon for some of them to flower again in autumn. Those leaves look a lovely rich green so it's obviously very healthy and going strong.'

IMHO, it is mostly temperature related. We grow lots of azaleas and rhodies where I live and it appears that early spring blooming varieties do this most often. It appears to me that when our temperatures re-warm after a cool and sometimes wet spell in the fall that some blooms will pop.

I'm curious; I recall your blog accounting for how you had a long, overcast and dreary spring and early summer. Then you had a period of blue skies. Did your (and fiona's) weather go cool and maybe wet for a while and then warm up recently?

0soyoung wrote:IMHO, it is mostly temperature related. We grow lots of azaleas and rhodies where I live and it appears that early spring blooming varieties do this most often. It appears to me that when our temperatures re-warm after a cool and sometimes wet spell in the fall that some blooms will pop.

I'm curious; I recall your blog accounting for how you had a long, overcast and dreary spring and early summer. Then you had a period of blue skies. Did your (and fiona's) weather go cool and maybe wet for a while and then warm up recently?

Interesting...

There wasn't really a cooling to be honest as it never got very warm lol. I can't even say that any two weeks period has even been consistent as every day seems to be different. A few great days followed by wind and rain followed by sunshine and showers...

You could be right and I think it is likely to be a combination daylight and temperature.

Oh, and thanks for following the blog

0soyoung wrote: Did your (and fiona's) weather go cool and maybe wet for a while and then warm up recently?

Like Ian's, my weather has scarcely been what you'd call hot apart from a week at the end of May. But it did get a bit warmer in August.

Wet, I'm afraid to say, is pretty much the default setting for weather here.

FANTASTIC COLOR!!!!!
Shalom Luciano.

JimLewis wrote:So that's probably why I've not seen one; I live and have lived for the last 45 years, where summers are in the mid to high 90s. Dang.

Someone please bring one to the Carolina Bonsai Expo next month. <g>

I know a local spot where there are a few small ones. I need to go back there soon anyway.

Beautiful pictures, y'all!