Recommended Rhododendrons

This time of year, you can't turn a corner without seeing some shrub that's ablaze with bloom, causing your breath to catch in your throat. If you investigate, chances are you'll find that you're looking at a rhododendron.

Buying and planting several of your own is hard to resist when you see how magnificent they look in other people's yards. So why resist? The reason we see so many around is that they do so well in the Lower Mainland. And to help you choose which rhodo (or rhodos) are right for you, I've put together a list of rhodos that have performed especially well for me and my gardening friends over the years.

These descriptions don't do these rhodos justice. If you see any of these rhodos in full bloom, you'll know why they made the list!

For early blooming:

R. 'Christmas Cheer': evergreen, compact shrub with pink flowers. Height and spread 3 feet.

R. 'Rosa Mundi': evergreen compact shrub with pale pink flowers. Height and spread 4 feet.

R. 'Sierra Del Oro': evergreen with glossy green leaves and light yellow flowers. Prefers a shady location. Height and spread 3 feet.

R. 'PJM' : evergreen dwarf compact with bright, lavender-pink or pink-purple flowers. Height and spread 4 feet. Leaves turn mahogany purple color in the fall.

R. 'Taurus': evergreen with large, very dark green leaves and red flowers. Height and spread to 6 feet.

For a touch of the unusual:

R. 'President Roosevelt': evergreen shrub with variegated leaves (splashes of yellow on dark green). Funnel-shaped bright red flowers in early mid-season. Height and spread 6 feet.

Azalea Nol's Variegata: evergreen with variegated leaves and bright pink flowers in early midseason. Height and spread 3 feet. Developed by Green Thumb nurseries in Nanaimo.

For exposed sites:

R. 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague': evergreen shrub with medium-sized leaves and funnel-shaped crimson-red flowers in mid-season. Tolerates heat, sun, and an exposed site. Height and spread 8 feet.

R. 'Grace Seabrook': evergreen shrub with medium-sized leaves and open, funnel-shaped crimson-red flowers in mid-season. Very tolerant, and makes an excellent hedge. Height and spread 8 feet (?).

R. 'Anah Kruschke': round evergreen shrub with medium-sized dark green leaves. Lavender flowers in mid-season. Height and spread 6 feet. Very tough; an ideal hedge or mass planting choice.

Tried and True:

R. 'Unique': evergreen shrub with rounded, medium-sized leaves. Produces funnel-shaped light cream-yellow flowers in early mid-season. Lovely mound-shaped form. Height and spread 4 feet.

R. 'Hotei': evergreen shrub with rounded medium-sized leaves. Funnel-shaped deep yellow flowers in midseason. Height and spread 5 to 8 feet. The best of the true yellows. Plant in full sun location for best flowering.

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