Rhododendron

Exotic beauty of Rhododendron flowers

When you look closely at a Rhododendron flower it really is an amazing piece of work.  And not only the detail of the flowers, but the way they sit among the foliage is pure plant perfection.  Rhododendrons have been a familiar sight in this country since the middle of the nineteenth century when the Victorian collectors and plant hunters began bringing back specimens predominantly from China, Japan, and the Himalayas.  Yet they retain their exotic beauty and still make a big impact wherever you come across them.

Dwarf Rhododendrons

Anyone who has wandered through a spring garden bursting with rhodos in flower must want to enjoy a slice of that glory on their own patch.  The good news is – anyone can!  At it’s simplest level, dwarf rhodos can be enjoyed in containers on a patio or balcony. 

The Yakushimanum (otherwise known as ‘Yak’) hybrids grow slowly and with the right feeding and watering will put on glorious displays of flowers year after year without ever out-growing their space. Container growing allows all the benefits of being able to get the soil conditions just right and you can relocate your plants as the fancy takes you.  Handy if you’re moving house!

Combine larger plants with ferns

If you’ve got more space you can make them a bigger part of the garden. Acid soil is generally a must, although the RHS has been running long-term trials on lime-tolerant varieties and it may be worth asking after INKHARO hybrids (claimed to have a degree of lime tolerance) at your garden centre. Combine larger plants, for example ‘Beauty of Littleworth’ (fabulous white flowers in spring) with ferns, perhaps in the dappled shade of mature trees.

Hostas make great partners too. Try matching the sumptuous Rhododendron ‘Blue Peter’ for example with Hosta fortunei to get maximum value from the lilac flower heads of the rhodo. A worthwhile guideline to keep in mind is that the more floriferous a variety is, the less suitable for naturalistic settings it tends to be. 

For this reason, the really showy examples, like Rhododendron ‘Linda’, with its vivid cerise flowers, are best nearer the house. Even ‘Linda’, however can be moderated by planting in combination with cooler flowers, for example bluebells.

Which Rhodo for which garden?

Bigger rhodos have the potential to provide useful screening against eyesores or for protection from a busy road.  Hardy hybrid or ‘iron-clad’ evergreen rhodos are perfect for these situations.  Rhododendron ‘Cynthia’ is one such and reaches a height and spread of 6m in ideal circumstances and would be effective in this situation.  Equally, however there are dwarf alpine varieties that are perfect in rock gardens, for example ‘Dora Amateis’ which bears lovely white flowers in spring and achieves a maximum height and spread of only 60cm.

These wonderful shrubs bring colour and interest for much of the year but it is in spring that the greatest glories occur.  Make your selection for your situation and as long as you give them a helping hand as they become established, they will bring you joy for many years to come.