Rhododendron 'Souvenir de Dominique Vervaene' (EA)

Shrubs

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A robust, evergreen shrub, up to 3m in height, with dark green foliage. Trusses of funnel-shaped, pale lilac flowers with a dark purple blotch appear in late spring

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 5–10 years
Max Spread: 2.5-4 metres
Max Height: 2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Ericaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: 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

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: 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

This plant is listed on Schedule 9 of the UK Wildlife & Countryside Act as an invasive non-native species. Although not banned from sale, it is an offence to plant or cause these to grow in the wild IN ENGLAND AND WALES. Gardeners possessing them should undertake measures to control them. See RHS advice on invasive non-native species for further information

Propagation

Please see cultivation notes

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Banks and slopes
Flower borders and beds
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Prune lightly after flowering, see pruning group 1

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