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A seedling from the hybrid between V.farreri and V.grandiflorum raised at Bodnant. It recieved an
Award of Merit from the RHS in 1947. This is the pinkest in bud of the named forms and the colour lasts into the
newly opened flowers but after they have been open for a day or so they fade to pure white. I planted it on a steep slope that is difficult to maintain. The hope is that it will shade out the undergrowth and make it easier to manage. It hasn't happened yet, but that is the nature of hope. Something we cling to that gets us through the present. I'm not a great fan of hope, I find that hot chocolate does the job more reliably but it isn't very good with weeds. Trees and Shrubs online says: "Flowers rich rose-red in bud, the limb eventually becoming white with a strong flush of pink. In size of flower and in other botanical characters it is more or less intermediate between the parents. The flowers are more frost-resistant than in V. grandiflorum and more freely borne. Award of Merit, 1947. There is a fine group at Kew by the Orangery, the tallest about 10 ft high. It should be emphasised that 'Dawn' is not a 'grex-name' of the kind once used in the naming of rhododendron crosses, but a cultivar-name for the type-clone, which was named by Dr Turrill and is cultivated at Kew by the Orangery. Some plants sold as 'Dawn' are not this clone and differ little in colour of flower from the excellent 'Deben'." |
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| 20th March 2010 | ||
