Description:

An attractive evergreen shrub that forms a compact, prostrate mound; features lavender to purple blooms in spring over small, blue-green leaves; must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil, use plenty of peat moss when planting

Ornamental Features

Dwarf Rhododendron features showy clusters of purple trumpet-shaped flowers with lavender overtones at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring. It has bluish-green evergreen foliage. The tiny glossy oval leaves remain bluish-green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Dwarf Rhododendron is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

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.

Dwarf Rhododendron is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Dwarf Rhododendron will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 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.