Other Names:  Hong Kong Rose, Henry's Rhodoleia, Scarlet Bells

Description:

An evergreen large flowering shrub or small tree producing gorgeous, multi petaled, scarlet flowers in winter when little else is blooming; hardy and vigorous, with upright branching and attractive foliage; great winter color when massed or as a specimen

Ornamental Features

Evergreen Rose Hazel features showy clusters of scarlet bell-shaped flowers with fuchsia overtones and black anthers at the ends of the branches from late winter to mid spring. It has attractive dark green foliage with silvery blue undersides which emerges chartreuse in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The rough gray bark and dark red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Evergreen Rose Hazel is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. 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.

Evergreen Rose Hazel is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Evergreen Rose Hazel will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

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 does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This species is not originally from North America.

Evergreen Rose Hazel makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.