Federal Way’s Rhododendron Species Foundation Garden From A Plant

Collector’s Perspective

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.

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.

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.

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.

R. Griersonianum. It looks like some big herbaceous tropical plant.

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.

Unmarked Mayapple Podophyllum. Sadly this one’s flowers had a delicate sweet scent.

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.

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.

This is a “bucket list type” plant. If you have not met a Cardiocrinumin 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.

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

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.

.

R. kesangiae is another reliably cold hardy monster.

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.

Ground cover Rhododendron with large flowers

Rhododendron pruniflorum has awesome flowers, foliage, and a dwarf growth habit.

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.

Golden Dwarf Hedge Maple Acer campester ‘Postelense’

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!

Menziesia ciliicalyx Purpurea. We have a Menziesianative to the PNW, but it is know where near as pretty

as this selection of a Japanese native.

Bark, the forgotten trait.

Japanese Stewartia Stewartiapseuodocamellia

Snake Bark Maple Acer davidii

Persian Ironwood Parrotia persica

Dove trees Davidia involucrata are on the Seattle Street Tree List, so plant them right now!

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.

Rhododendron valentiniodes

Rhododendron ‘Thimblelina’. It’s a little dwarf plant, and the foliage has an interesting musky smell when rubbed.

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.

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.

Rhododendron ‘Razorbill’

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.

Rhododendron cinnabarinum subspecies cinnabarinum

Rhododendron canescens has a delightful fragrance.

Rhododendron flammeum

Rhododendron japonicum

Rhododendron augustinii ‘Marine’

Camellia ‘Grace Albritton’

Holy Mackerel! a100 foot tall Hydragea vine! Just for perspecitive, King Kong was 50 feet tall.

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