I grow some Rhododendron, is anybody here grow these tropical Rhododendron?
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN8623.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN8624.jpg
Rhododendron 'Haloed Gold'

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN8546.jpg
Cara Mia

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN9050.jpg
Charming Valentino

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN9194.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN9195.jpg
Highland Arabesque

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/Weipang/Others/vireya/DSCN9193.jpg
Thai Prince

They are all very nice - Can't grow them here

I've contemplated collecting Vireya Rhodos, but never did...after seeing these photos, I may have to rethink that.

How do you grow yours?

Jon

Their habitat are similar to Paphs, but I think they need more sunlight than paphs to encourage flowering. So if you can grow paphs well, it is easy to grow them.

Chien,

Very beautiful!

thanks

Gorgeous photos! Are these fragrant? They are azaleas, correct? My mother grows them and I love them! They practically grow wild here. There are enormous bushes surrounding my school of these and also oleander.

They look great :cool:

Gorgeous photos! Are these fragrant? They are azaleas, correct? My mother grows them and I love them! They practically grow wild here. There are enormous bushes surrounding my school of these and also oleander.

These are not fragrant. Those fregrant ones are often with white flowers. And yes, they are a kind of azalea, but I think they are different with what you see in your garden.
They are Vireya, can be found in such places as, Borneo, New Guinea, and you can find more information here,
http://www.vireya.net/index.htm

Gorgeous Rhodys!
Ours aren't out here yet, and I've never seen colors such as those around here. The house I grew up in had a front woods full of old growth rhodedendrons. They were lovely dotting the heavily wooded area in the springtime.

beautiful...I would be afraid I would not have enough room for these, because I would have to have all of the ones you have pictured above

I have one Vireya left from a round of experimenting with them 15 years ago. I originally was attempting to do under lights bonsai with them. The ones that tolerate the occasional hard drying out have leaves that are just too large for bonsai. The Vireya with tiny leaves don't forgive mis-treatment as well, especially when still in 2 inch pots. The mis-treatment was unintentional, and other plants of mine suffered those occasions too.

My survivor of 15 years is (goodenoughii x Calavar) a hybrid made by Dick 'Red' Calavar, who is fairly famous for his collection of Pleiones. Nice guy, ran Red's Rhodies for years. It has white flowers and is sweetly fragrant. Glorious bloom trusses, on a compact 24 inch shrub. My only complaint is that it does not bloom more often. I grow it in the brighter part of the light garden, with the Paph rothschildianums and sanderianums. Potting mix is fine seedling bark mix. Its watering cycle is the same as for the Paphs. I do use a seedling mix in a 5 inch pot that for a Paph I would have gone to a medium bark mix. They tolerate temps down to the 40's F, and up to the low 90's F, all in all a good companion for Paphs or Cymbidiums if you avoid frost.

Bovees is the nursery I would recomend if you are into giving Vireya a try. The white flowered ones have heady & exotic fragrances. The reds and oranges are eye popping. There are dwarf species, there are standards that are about as big as landscape Rhododendrums. All range inbetween. You know, there are plants worth growing that are not even orchids!
Leo

These are really useful information if you want grow Vireya, thank you, Leo.