R. sutchuenense var. geraldii
Molly Grothaus
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R. sutchuenense
var.
geraldii
Photo by Cecil Smith |
R. sutchuenense var. geraldii
is an early spring favorite in the Pacific Northwest. It bloomed the last week in February at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland untouched by the record-setting December freeze. This year it has proven again that the unopened buds are completely hardy and growth is not likely to be damaged.
R. sutchuenense
has a hardiness rating of H-2 and is grown in the milder areas of Sweden. It is hardy as far north as Boston but in colder climates a site should be provided which will give the opening blooms some frost protection.
For gardens with space to give it,
R. sutchuenense
makes a beautiful rounded shrub of tree-like proportions. Each of its many trusses tops a dramatic rosette of long, eight-to-ten-inch, leaves held at a descending angle.
Flowers may vary from white through rosy-pink. Widely bell-shaped and about three inches across, the flowers are carried in trusses of 10 or 12.
R. sutchuenense
has purple spots where its variety
geraldii
has a blotch.
Particularly beautiful is the Del James form of
R. sutchuenense
var.
geraldii
. This is an unusually deep pink with a glossy black-purple blotch in the throat.