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Rhododendron arizelum

notable rhododendron

R. arizelum is a large, evergreen shrub or small tree to 8m tall. Dark green leaves up to 22cm long are covered with a cinnamon-brown felt on the undersides. Fifteen to twenty-five bell-shaped flowers are borne in trusses to 15cm in diameter in spring; flowers are creamy-yellow, white or rose-pink with dark crimson blotches at the base

Synonyms
Rhododendron rex subsp. arizelum
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Size
Ultimate height
4–8 metres
Time to ultimate height
10–20 years
Ultimate spread
4–8 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Cream Yellow White Pink Red Green Brown
Summer Green Brown
Autumn Green Brown
Winter Green Brown
Position
  • Partial shade
Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Ericaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus

Rhododendron can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs or trees, with simple leaves, sometimes with a dense colourful indumentum of hairs on the lower side, and funnel-shaped, bell-shaped or tubular flowers that may be solitary or in short racemes

Name status

Correct

Plant range
China NE Myanmar

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained, leafy humus-rich, acid soil in part shade with shelter from cold winds; see rhododendron cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or layering in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Hedging and screens
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Pruning group 8

Pests

May be susceptible to vine weevil, rhododendron and azalea whitefly, rhododendron leafhopper, pieris lacebug, scale insects, caterpillars and aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to various Rhododendron diseases including powdery mildews, rhododendron petal blight, rhododendron bud blast, silver leaf and honey fungus

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