Description
Sold as a single plug.
At a Glance: A large evergreen shrub with oblong dark green leaves and flowers annually.
Height: Up to 20 ft
Leaves: Large, thick and dark green. Oblong in shape and tapered at the end.
Flowers: Bright clusters of pink to white flowers in the late spring to early summer
Appeal: This shrub provides a lush mid canopy growth, can easily have ferns and other plants planted underneath. Flowers are quite lovely. Drought tolerant.
Helpful Tips: They need an acidic soil, so add elemental sulfur and peat moss to the planting hole and/or mulch with shredded oak leaves or pine needles. Will stay smaller in sunny spots.
Ethnobotany: Native from BC to Northern California, the Pacific Rhododendron is the state flower of Washington.
| Sun/Shade Tolerance | Hydrology | Elevation Range |
|
partial sun and shade 40%- 60%
mostly shady 60%-80%
full shade > 80%
|
moist
dry
|
low elevation
mid elevation
|
Livestock Toxicity: Rhododendron bushes are toxic to livestock at small doses. Rhododendrons contain glycosides which cause vomiting, vertigo, coma and death from respiratory failure in severe cases. The toxin is present in all parts of the Rhododendron bush.
References:“Hansen’s Northwest Native Plant Database.” The Wild Garden. Web. 10 Nov. 2016. http://www.nwplants.com/business/catalog/rho_mac.html.
