About
A medium-sized deciduous shrub of open habit, with oblong, mid-green leaves and perfumed flowers with wavy-edged pink lobes, each with a paler line down the centre, and a bold dark yellow blotch.
About the genus
Rhododendron can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs or trees, with simple leaves, sometimes with a dense colourful indumentum of hairs on the lower side, and funnel-shaped, bell-shaped or tubular flowers that may be solitary or in short racemes
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeClay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectWest-facing, East-facing, South-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread1-1.5 metres
Time to full height10-20 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden
FragranceFlower
ToxicityHarmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises) Harmful if eaten - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
CultivationSuitable for an open site but best grown in moist but well-drained, leafy, humus-rich acid soil in part shade with shelter; see rhododendron cultivation
PruningAfter flowering deadhead where practical. Pruning group 1
PropagationPropagate by rooting semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, layering in autumn or grafting in late winter or late summer. Cultivars will not come true from seed
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to vine weevil, rhododendron and azalea whitefly, rhododendron leafhopper, pieris lacebug, scale insects, caterpillars and aphids
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to various Rhododendron diseases including powdery mildews, rhododendron petal blight, rhododendron bud blast, silver leaf and honey fungus