Yaku Princess Rhododendron

The Yaku Princess Rhododendron is a beautiful rounded shrub growing to 3 feet tall and wide, ultimately reaching about 5 feet. The evergreen leaves are densely covered in silver hairs when they first emerge, and they retain a covering of them under the leaves, which turns orange-brown as they mature. The upper surface is smooth and olive-green. Flowering abundantly in April or May, each large truss is packed with frilled, trumpet shaped blooms that are pink in bud, opening to lighter pink interiors freckled with orange-red spots, and fading to pale pink. A beautiful plant for a woodland garden, an Asian-style one, or any garden bed. In hotter zones it can be grown in a planter, using lime-free potting soil.

• Large heads of gorgeous blooms in shades of purple-pink
• New leaves are silver with a dense covering of hairs
• Undersides of leaves are orange-brown
• A vigorous hybrid variety with good cold resistance
• Grows best in acidic soils and partial shade

Plant the Yaku Princess Rhododendron with morning sun and afternoon shade, in the dappled shade beneath evergreen trees, or at the foot of a north-facing wall with blue sky overhead. Grow it in acidic soil, with plenty of organic material, that is moist but also well-drained. Water regularly, especially through summer, as this plant is not drought tolerant. Deer won’t bother it and it normally has no pests or diseases. In suitable soil and light it is easy to grow and vigorous. Don’t prune or trim, but do remove spent flowers as soon as new shoots begin to emerge.