Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Rhododendron 'Gilbert Mullie' (EA)

An evergreen azalea to about 1m high, with a spreading habit, and small ovate leaves that open bright green and mature to dark green. Flowers are single, rose pink with darker speckles, and produced in late spring

Join the RHS

Become an RHS Member today and save 30% on your first year

Join now
Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metres
Time to ultimate height
5–10 years
Ultimate spread
0.5–1 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Pink Green
Summer Green
Autumn Green
Winter Green
Position
  • Partial shade
Aspect

North–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H6
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. Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises) Harmful if eaten - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
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

Accepted

Horticultural Group
Evergreen azaleas are compact evergreen shrubs with small leaves and terminal racemes of small, funnel-shaped, usually unscented flowers in early summer

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained, humus rich, acidic soil, in partial or dappled shade. Choose a site away from frost pockets and sheltered from strong winds. Mulch annually, ideally with leaf mould. See rhododendron cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, or by grafting in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Wall side borders
Pruning

Minimal pruning required, see pruning group 8 (evergreens). Deadhead if practical, to promote vegetative growth rather than seed production

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 powdery mildews, honey fungus, silver leaf and Phytophthora, as well as more specific Rhododendron diseases

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.