This is more than Rhody Approved. These are SIX rhodies that I approve of. (I do not know what Rhody thinks because I did not ask.) These pictures were taken early last week. All this bloom is deteriorating now, with only the latest bloom lingering. Most of the rhododendrons here are quite mature. Their identities are unknown. Does it really matter?
1. Trude Webster looks something like this, but should stay lower. The specimen that produced this bloom is more than twenty feet high! It is a lanky tree that bends from the weight of bloom.
2. I have no idea what this is. I am not certain about the identities of any of the rhododendrons here; but this one is different. I really do not know what it even resembles! It certainly is pretty.
3. Rhododendron ponticum is a simple species of Rhododendron, rather than an extensively bred cultivar. Unlike its progeny, it is somewhat uncommon in cultivation. This just might be one.
4. Anah Kruschke is what I thought this resembled last year. It looks nothing like it now. I suppose that it could be another specimen. Anah Kruschke is common, so must be here somewhere.
5. Taurus is what I designated this one as, although I doubt that it really is. It is a big and sprawling specimen, with the simplest and brightest red bloom. It happens to be one of my favorites.
6. Lord Roberts blooms with rich burgundy red like the velour upholstery of the 1978 Electra I learned to parallel park with. If you can parallel park an Electra, you can parallel park anything. Anyway, I do not know what cultivar this is, but I know it is not actually Lord Roberts. Its foliage is not right. Nonetheless, without a good white rhododendron, this is my favorite of these six.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate:
https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Tony Tomeo 
Rhodos are a favourite of mine. They grow here, but not very well. I recall huge rhodo hedges from when I lived in Vancouver though – they were spectacular!
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Is the weather just too cold in winter? I would have guessed that they would be happy there. They do not do well in most of the region here either, but because the weather is arid and warm through summer. This location and most of the Santa Cruz Mountains just happens to suit them better.
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Cold and for the most part soil in southern Ontario is alkaline…
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Strangely, the alkalinity of the soils in many regions here seems to be less of a limiting factor than the weather. I know that rhododendrons dislike it, but they do not seem to express it. If they do, I mistake if for something else.
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We can’t really grow them here, but where I grew up in PA, they grow wild in the woods.
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You are the second to say that they do not do well there. I thought that arid climates like (most of) ours are the only place where they do not do well.
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Beautiful flowers. I have a red one just opening, but need more shade so I can grow more!
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It is so shady where these rhododendrons live that some do not bloom. That is the problem with the redwood forests. The trees are so tall that they can shade areas quite some distance away. Just a few miles away, in the Santa Clara Valley, rhododendrons need some degree of shade to compensate for the aridity; but will not bloom if too shaded.
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They’re all so pretty, but I agree with you, the last two are my favourites as well – such vibrant colour.
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Yes, very rich; although the simple red is a bit too garish for some.
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I do love a rhododendron. I think that one masquerading as Lord Roberts is my fave too.
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Although I can not be certain, I believe that my colleague grew that one. A few rhododendrons were added in two phases after 1990, and my colleague grew those of the larger phase. The others were installed in about 1977, but seem to be older. Some just might be.
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My favorite: R. ponticum.
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You know, it is one of my favorites also, although I can not figure out why. I am not often so keen on pale colors like that. Do you like it because it is such a rare pale shade of blue?
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. . . or whatever color that is. I suppose that it is more lavender than blue. Well, it looks close to pale blue to me.
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I think so, yes.
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