My name is Sherla Bertelmann, a long-time member of the Hawaii Chapter ARS and vireya grower here in
Hilo, Hawaii. I've been thinking it over for a while and I can no longer hold it in. I'm referring to
growing vireya rhododendrons and why more people aren't growing them, especially those who belong to
ARS. Here's the thing, we in Hawaii cannot grow your beautiful temperate rhododendrons. It's not that
we don't want to but, rather, our climate prevents them from blooming here. But, YOU can grow a vireya.
When vireyas were reintroduced in the '60 s many of the varieties distributed were often tall, leggy
plants that did not do well in pots. Today there are many wonderful varieties very suitable for pot
culture.
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| Seedlings of the cross
[(R. macgregoriae x R. laetum) x R. saxifragoides] F2 x self. The plants are well suited for pot culture. They are compact, bushy and heavy bloomers. Photos by Sherla D. Bertelmann |
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Here are a few must requirements for growing success with vireyas. The first two are drainage and air
in the medium. Vireyas are more epiphytic in nature than most realize. Orchid growers are the first
to grab this concept and will treat their vireyas just as they would their orchids. Besides the medium,
vireyas are similar to orchids in wanting bright light, not necessarily full sunlight. Though
many varieties will grow in full sun most seem to respond best in dappled light, bright light, or at
least some protection from the hot late afternoon sun.
Like orchids, vireyas don't mind being pot tight...but, there is a difference in being pot tight and
being root bound. They have a fine root system with a few larger "carrot" roots but no taproot. The
fine roots can form a solid barrier in their pots preventing proper water absorption and leading to
stress. Vireyas respond to transplanting very well and love having their roots loosened or trimmed.
When you repot be sure to prune your vireya, too, which helps it to recover more quickly from the
repotting and produces a denser plant that will cover itself with blooms.
Humidity is another shared requirement with orchids. When the humidity is low the vireyas leaves
often droop. It's as if the air is sucking out all the moisture in the leaves. Misting the foliage
helps to bring up the humidity around the plant.
Keep your plant regularly watered. One of the lessons learned from growing vireyas here in Hilo,
Hawaii, is they love water, just not soggy feet. In other words, it's not how much water but how
quickly the water runs through. I know, we've all heard we should water heavily and allow the
vireya to dry out well before re-watering. Well, Hilo is the rainiest city in the USA and it is
not unusual to have a solid month of rain. The vireyas absolutely love it! This has lead us to
rethink our watering. Keeping the vireya slightly moistened at all times works better than letting
it swing between very dry to very wet - far less stressing on the plant.
Go sparingly with your fertilizer. Time release with trace elements, fish emulsion, rhododendron
fertilizers, chicken manure are all things vireyas love, sparingly. Half to one third of the
recommend application is fine. Vireyas' favorite seems to be good old organic mulch around its roots,
even in a pot if it is kept outside in the elements.
There are many recipes for rhododendron medium. I want to mention one other one: cactus mixes.
Believe it or not, vireyas will grow in it because it tends to have exceptional drainage and
aeration.
I admit I don't know much about growing plants in areas that have snow, but I know that many of
you do grow other plants in pots. I've heard you move them indoors or cover them to protect
your plants from freezing. I'm sure there are other things you do that I'm not aware of. But,
the point is you can grow vireyas in pots whereas I cannot grow your temperates. So, what are
you waiting for - try a vireya. I dare you, I double dare you.
Sherla Bertelmann is past president of the Hawaii Chapter.