Rhododendron vireya Vladimir Bukovski - Tropical Rhododendron

Rhododendron 'Vladimir Bukovski' is an Australian hybrid that forms an evergreen bush, slightly larger than other varieties in this group of tropical plants. Its beautiful glossy dark green foliage serves as a backdrop for its incredibly bright flowering. In autumn and winter, it produces trumpets of bright orange with a yellow throat. This highly ornamental, uncommon Rhododendron is frost-sensitive and needs to be grown in a pot, in moist and well-drained substrate, and under light shade. It should be overwintered in a bright frost-free room to protect it during the cold season.

Rhododendron belongs to the Ericaceae family, of which it is an important member, alongside about a hundred other often highly ornamental genera, such as Kalmias (or Mountain Laurels) with magnificent blooms, Heather, and Pieris or Japanese Andromedas. There are approximately 850 species of Rhododendron, which justifies a rather complex botanical taxonomy, divided into subgenera, sections, and subsections. More than a third of the recorded species are of tropical origin and are grouped in the Vireya section (named after a French pharmacist, Julien-Joseph Virey, 1775-1846). Frequently epiphytic, growing on trees like many orchids in warm countries, these Rhododendrons that we are less familiar with tend to bloom almost all year round in their Southeast Asian homelands.
'Vladimir Bukovski' is a horticultural variety from 1968 created by Australian breeder Tom Lelliott. It is the result of a cross between Rhododendron laetum, an Indonesian and New Guinean species that forms a 3m tall shrub with yellow flowers, and the Malaysian variety 'Souvenir de J.H. Mangles', with orange-red flowers. The result of this cross is a beautiful shrub 70cm to 80cm tall and wide, reaching 1m in maturity, with tiered growth. The bright green foliage is particularly decorative when contrasting with the red young stems. As they mature, these stems turn green, while the leaves darken. Measuring 9 to 11.5cm long and 4.5 to 5cm wide, they have an elliptical shape and spread almost horizontally, carried by short petioles.
Flowering occurs in autumn and often continues into winter, in the form of clusters of 7 to 12 brightly coloured flowers. Resembling small trumpets, 4.5cm in diameter and 5.5cm long, their tubular base is formed by the fused tips of the petals, typical of Ericaceae (these are called gamopetalous flowers in this case). The other end opens into five rounded lobes, of an incredibly bright orange colour, almost fluorescent against the dark green background of the foliage. The throat is closer to yellow and punctuated by the dark red anthers of the cluster of stamens that emerge from the corolla's centre.

Rhododendron 'Vladimir Bukovski' is even more cold-sensitive than other Vireya varieties and can tolerate only very brief frosts of around -1°C to -2°C. Therefore, it should be grown in a container so that it can be brought indoors to a frost-free conservatory or any other bright sheltered place in winter. Pair it with other cold-sensitive plants with a tropical appearance to create an original scene. The Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) can be one of them, which you can grow as an annual or a perennial by also bringing it indoors for winter protection. Provide it with a trellis in a container, and it will quickly cover it with its luxuriant foliage, offering you its bright yellow flowers with a dark central spot throughout the summer season. Grevillea poorinda 'Rondeau' will also be a good companion, with its dark evergreen foliage and long-lasting bright red-pink flowering, evoking distant lands. Another plant with exotic charm, the Pink Cuphea 'Twinkle Pink', is a dense perennial with curious pink tubular flowers, topped with 6 delicate petals of light purple, which will further enhance the ambiance you have created.