Hi Everyone,
I've been volunteering at Bovees Nursery for a couple of hours a week this fall. They're a small "family owned" nursery specializing in Vireya Rhododendrons which are mostly from the mountains of Malaysia and Indonesia. Bovees has the largest Vireya collection in the world (according to Lucy) because they do both species and hybrids.

Anyway, Fall is a big blooming time for them, so I thought I'd share some pictures.

R. tuba V314
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/Rtuba01.jpg

R. orbiculatum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/RorbiculatumNEW01.jpg

R. rarum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/Rrarum01.jpg

R. stenophyllum var stenophyllum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/V703Rstenophyllumvarstenophyllum01.jpg

R konori V103
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/V103Rkonori.jpg

R. quadrasianum var cuneifolium V671
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/V671RQuadrasianumvarcuneifolium.jpg

R. laetum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/P1040369.jpg

R. rubineiflorum x gracilentum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/Rrubineiflorumxgracilentum01.jpg

R. konori V98
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/P1040373.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/nankeen/P1040372.jpg

If you're ever in the Portland area, drop on by: there's always something in bloom and many of the flowers smell Great! Their website is http://www.bovees.com/

Best,
Ross

Beautiful!!

Very nice!
Thanks for posting

so beautyfulll:heart::heart::heart:

How beautiful! Pictures are superb thank you!

Awesome plants...awesome pics...thnx!

WOW -awesome - sounds like fun! Thanks for pics - they're great!

Ross, thanks for the shots! You are lucky to live within striking distance of this nursery - truly that is a unique place. I've grown a couple of the warmth tolerant hybrids, but those lovely red tubular flowered species would up and die here in about 10 minutes!

How about you? Have you tried any yet?

Nice pics!

Great shots! Thanks for posting!

.... those lovely red tubular flowered species would up and die here in about 10 minutes!

How about you? Have you tried any yet?

The little ones are in general from high altitude (c5000-11500ft) and would certainly die in southern Japan as fast as you could order them, as desirable as some are.

I do have a couple (6) and I'll be getting a couple more (~10) over the next few months. The owners, White & Lucy, seem to want me to have them now that I'm volunteering for them :rolleyes: I work only 5 mintues from Bovees now, so it's easyyyy!

Vireyas seem to do very well here inside during the winter and in my shadehouse during the summer. They're hardy to about 35F, for the most part, and in the wild some are unharmed by an *occasional* frost.

Unfortunately, if I don't repot into a very fast draining mix right away, they tend to die... I just water too much! Once I repot them into a mix that has a Lot more pumice, the water goes right through and I haven't lost any plants that way. :thumbsup:

They do require a lot of pruning and pinching in order to make them look great. Naturally, they are quite lanky, but you can sculpt your way to a beautifully artistic shrub with gracefully twisting branches if you have the patience!

Best,
Ross