Floral Sun - frilly, scented and yellow in the nuttallii range

Spring continues apace and as camellias and magnolias wane, it is rhododendron time starting. Floral Sun has opened her first flowers. I say her, because being frilly, scented and soft coloured, this plant looks more Venusian than Martian. It is one of ours. When Mark came home and commented that he had crossed sino nuttallii (which has big white scented trumpets) with R. W. Rye (small yellow flowers) in an attempt to get colour into the nuttalliis, I predicted he would end up with a whole lot of plants with very small white flowers and no scent. I was wrong. He ended up with a run of plants with the lovely heavy textured leaves and peeling bark of sino nutt, with frillier trumpets and yellow. Soft yellow tones, not the harder acid yellow of R. W. Rye but Floral Sun also has the more compact habit of her father Rye which is an added advantage. We are still pretty pleased with this rhododendron even if the flowering will be over long before visitors arrive for Rhododendron Festival.