2. The Rhododendron Species Foundation Garden is designed primarily around the botanical collection. Unlike many other public gardens, this one
is designed by plant nerds for plant nerds. Ambiance, beauty, and interest are factored into the design, but the primary function of the garden’s
design is to provide optimal conditions for the plants. We humans are allowed to view the plants’ living their lives.
It is so large; any time of year there is something interesting.
It is so large that there is always solitude somewhere.
The continuously test and try new plants to see if they will make it.
Most plants are identified.
Many of the plants prospering in the collection are available for sale there as starts.
3. The foundation garden seems to specialize in “what the heck is that?” type plants. These images are of the little dwarf species R.
proteoides. It’s a weird little species with cool foliage. This species does also produce very nice flowers. They are large and white
with pink edges and stripes.
4. They have a young specimen of the new variety ‘Ever Red’! ‘Ever Red’ has bright and shiny red new growth that hardens to dark
red. It also develops blood red flower clusters. They also have some for sale. We (Swansons) probably won’t have any available
for a few years.
5. I have never heard of this species. It is R. rushforthii, and it has
unbelievable clean blue foliage Apparently it offers small, flat
faced yellow flowers. I hope it’s cold hardy here.
7. This Chinese Mayapple Podophyllum pleianthum has the coolest dark red and awful smelling flowers. My wife knows that I love
all malodorous flowers. When I ask her to come down to the ground with me and smell the weird flowers under the leaves, she
used to do so. That only worked a couple of times. Now she knows better. The flowers smell like rotten meat, probably to attract
fly and/or beetles as pollinators.
9. Japanese Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema skikokianum.
Arisaema are members of the Arum family of plants, along
with Skunk Cabbage, and Corpse Flowers, so they are pretty
much the coolest around because they often smell terrible.
Some Arisaema species can omit some funk, but not this
one. It does have cool variegated leaves and a large, weird
flower though.
10. Red Flowering Mahonia Mahonia gracilipes. This is definitly a
“what the heck is that plant” (WHP). It grows little bright red
flowers with yellow centers that occur on long stalks. I Love the
gnarly leaves and random growth habit. The leaves look like
they have sharp edges, but they are all talk.
11. This is a “bucket list type” plant. If you have not met a Cardiocrinum
in bloom, you haven't fully lived. Those stalks in the meadow are the
remains of last year’s flowers. The stalks can grow 12 feet tall and the
flowers at the top of the stalks are huge white fragrant lilies. It takes
most of a decade for each plant to build up enough energy to flower.
12. Here in the PNW we have uniquely mild summers and winters, thus
we get to grow and enjoy many special gems others can only read
about. Himalayan Blue Poppies Meconopsis are a prime example.
They are absolutely stunning, and they do not like heat, but they
need bright light. That’s not a problem around the Puget Sound!
Although not showcased at this garden, the carnivorous California
Pitcher Plant Darlingtonia californica, is another gem that performs
well pretty much only in the PNW. If I had only room enough to
grow one plant, it would be Darlingtonia.
Darlingtonia Image from home
13. Very large leaf Rhododendrons are all the rage amongst collectors right
now. Many of them are not very cold hardy, however, and require
protection. I wrap my R. sinogrande in Christmas lights every winter.
The image below shows the cool new growth of Rhododendron rex
subspecies rex. Rex has been reliably cold hardy for much of the PNW.
Left is of a R. rex fictolacteum specimen that is about 18 feet tall.
.
15. Not all flowers can smell bad, but as long they are thorny or
black, they are still cool. I swore there would never be a
place in my garden for a Geranium, but this variety ‘Lily
Lovell’ is awesome.
18. This garden has such healthy soil, our native coralroot
orchid Corallorrhizae grows wild here. Coralroot are
good indicators of soil quality, so If you are ever in the
woods in the PNW and are looking to view rare native
orchids, you probably won’t find any if there aren’t any
coralroot around.
20. Chinese anise Illicium. Illiciums are wonderful evergreen and shade loving shrubs that are very difficult to procure. If you find one
for sale, buy it quick and propagate it!
21. Menziesia ciliicalyx Purpurea. We have a Menziesia
native to the PNW, but it is know where near as pretty
as this selection of a Japanese native.
22. Bark, the forgotten trait.
Japanese Stewartia Stewartia
pseuodocamellia
Snake Bark Maple Acer davidii
Persian Ironwood Parrotia persica
23. Dove trees Davidia involucrata are on the Seattle Street Tree List, so plant
them right now!
24. Another forgotten trait are the seeds (samaras) that some
Japanese maples develop. This image shows the beautiful
bright red samaras of ‘Heptalobum’ Japanese maple Acer
palmatum.
27. Rhododendron fastigiatum. I love this plant. It has nice violet flowers and bluish foliage on a compact plant, but the nerd that I
am finds it fascinating that this plant was named “fastigiatum”.
There are scientists who dedicate their existence to categorizing and accurately naming living organisms. Names of species often
refer to a particular unique trait that that species has relative to other like species. Fastigiate means specifically erect growing,
but this plant looks to have very much the opposite growth habit type.
Apparently there are different forms of this species, and/or environmental factors may effect the growth habit dramatically, so
somewhere out there uniquely upright and narrow Rhododendrons are growing, just not here.
28. Daffodil-like Azalea Rhododendron ‘Narcissiflorum’. Azaleas
are a subgroup of Rhododendrons. There can be azaleas that
lose their leaves in the winter or ones that are evergreen, but
they are all types of Rhododendrons. This beautiful deciduous
(loses its leaves) form was named after daffodils Narcissus,
because the flowers are reminiscent of daffodils. The flowers
emit a delicious fragrance.
30. Rhododendron decorum new foliage emerges bronzy and hardens to
green. This beauty has very large flowers that are fragrant, similar
to the more common R. fortunei.
