Producing Rhododendrons for Landscaping: Topiary Is the Direction, Don't Use Wild-Collected Rootstock
Regarding the phenomenon of some nursery growers using wild rhododendrons as rootstock to cultivate topiary rhododendrons for landscaping projects, Li Yong, secretary-general of the Rhododendron Branch of the China Flower Association, recently stated: topiary is currently an effective way to increase the added value of landscaping rhododendrons, but the practice of using wild-collected rootstock for grafting is not advocated.
It is understood that although there are not many nurseries in China mainly growing rhododendrons for landscaping projects, many places in the south have already achieved year-round supply. Therefore, in the absence of disasters, the domestic supply of landscaping rhododendrons is currently basically saturated. Li Yong believes that under these circumstances, nursery growers can put more effort into topiary to gain market share through product differentiation.
When shaping rhododendrons into topiary, nursery growers must first consider two factors: the selection of rootstock varieties and the topiary method. Li Yong stated that from the Rhododendron mucronatum currently produced in China and some fast-propagating spring rhododendrons, thick and large seedlings can be selected as rootstock. At the same time, the topiary methods for rhododendrons should be enriched as much as possible. The lion, tiger and other shapes that conifers and cypresses could be trained into in the past can all be done with rhododendrons. When using large rhododendron topiary in public green spaces, they can be single plants or combinations of multiple plants. In addition, flowering period control technology is now very mature, and nursery growers can also consciously create topiary rhododendrons for major events, such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. For areas such as Beijing where the soil is not very suitable for rhododendron growth, pot cultivation can be considered.
Developing topiary rhododendrons can bring new opportunities to old nurseries. Li Yong said that the Rhododendron Branch of the China Flower Association has learned that in some old nurseries, rhododendrons grown there are unsalable due to poor shape, weak branches and other reasons, and such cases are not few. If they are given topiary treatment, new selling points can be created.
Li Yong opposes using wild rhododendrons as rootstock for topiary, believing that this practice damages wild rhododendron resources. At the same time, he suggests stepping up the domestication of wild rhododendrons and using tissue culture methods to increase propagation numbers, striving to solve some of the technical difficulties involved, and using artificial cultivation to meet the market demand for topiary rhododendron rootstock.