Description:

This stately variety is the largest of the species; a profusion of scarlet blooms in mid-spring; a landscape or border shrub that will definitely stand out; absolutely must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil

Ornamental Features

Tree Rhododendron is covered in stunning clusters of scarlet trumpet-shaped flowers with creamy white throats at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It has grayish green evergreen foliage. The narrow leaves remain grayish green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Tree Rhododendron is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tree Rhododendron is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Tree Rhododendron will grow to be about 35 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America.