About

A tufted alpine perennial to about 18cm tall from rocky Himalayan habitats with finely divided, blue-green, fern-like leaves and solitary, cup-shaped, pale lilac to white flowers with golden nectaries and yellow anthers in late spring. A choice and challenging specialist for a cool, very well-drained alpine house or trough.

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

Plant details

Suggested usesWoodland gardens, specialist collections

Care notes

CultivationAcidic, moist, humus-rich soil in sheltered dappled shade
PruningAllow natural form. Deadhead if practical
PropagationSeed for species integrity. Cuttings also possible
Pest resistanceGenerally pest-free
Disease resistanceRoot rot in poor drainage. Protect tender species from frost