Other Names:  Rhododendron oreodoxa var. fargesii

Description:

A species rhododendron with an open, upright and coarsely spreading habit, extremely picturesque, with white-lavender-pink flowers in early spring; absolutely must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil, use plenty of peat moss when planting

Ornamental Features

Farges Rhododendron features showy clusters of lavender trumpet-shaped flowers with pink overtones at the ends of the branches in early spring. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The large glossy narrow leaves remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Farges 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.

Farges Rhododendron is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Farges Rhododendron will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 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.