Rhododendron catawbiense Roseum Elegans

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Roseum Elegans' is a vigorous and tall bush, with good cold resistance, but also heat resistance, a quality not so common in these plants. Derived from a particularly robust American botanical species, it fascinates in spring, when it almost disappears under a massive flowering of lavender-pink colour enhanced with bronze-red speckles on the throat. Gathered in generous clusters, its large flowers fade to pink over time, creating an inflorescence in a range of pink and mauve. With its lush appearance that could almost be described as exotic, this large "rhodo" allows for the creation of superb screens at the back of flower beds or majestic evergreen hedges.

Rhododendrons are plants of the Ericaceae family, just like heathers, preferring mostly limestone-free soils, with an acidic tendency, and humid climates. Rhododendron catawbiense is a botanical species with great development originating from the USA, more precisely from the mountain slopes of the southern Appalachians, which extend from Virginia to Georgia. It is characterized by remarkable resistance to cold and diseases that can affect these bushes. Frequently planted in American gardens, it has been hybridized with less hardy species from the Himalayas to produce some of our most spectacular rhododendrons.

'Roseum Elegans' is in the same vein as 'Grandiflorum', although its development is slightly less important. It forms a large bush with a slightly spreading rounded habit, as wide as it is tall. Its growth is relatively fast, reaching an average of 2m (6ft 7in) in all directions (sometimes up to 2.50m (8ft 2in) in width) under good conditions. The branches are abundantly covered with beautiful glossy foliage of dark olive green, composed of narrow, slightly arched, oblong-shaped evergreen leaves. The remarkably abundant flowering takes place from the end of May to mid-June. The large funnel-shaped flowers are gathered in large spherical clusters, containing up to 20 funnel-shaped flowers. The colour of the flowers when they bloom is a lavender-pink washed with fuchsia and speckled with red in the centre. Over time, they take on a more mauve hue and reveal a throat speckled with bronze occupied by long, curved stamens of deep pink colour. This heathland bush will find its place in partial shade in a cool, humus-rich, well-drained acidic soil. Rhododendron catawbiense 'Roseum Elegans' is hardy across a wide climatic range.

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Roseum Elegans' can be used as a solitary plant or in mass plantings, obviously in the company of other heathland plants. It can be associated with narrow and conical conifers for contrast of silhouettes, Chinese azaleas, complementing and tempering their warm tones, magnolias, Andromedas (Pieris), mountain laurels (Kalmia), Japanese maples with green or purple foliage... In a large garden in Brittany or Normandy, it can even compose a majestic hedge along a large alley, along with other large rhododendrons.

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Roseum Elegans' is a vigorous and tall bush, with good cold resistance, but also heat resistance, a quality not so common in these plants. Derived from a particularly robust American botanical species, it fascinates in spring, when it almost disappears under a massive flowering of lavender-pink colour enhanced with bronze-red speckles on the throat. Gathered in generous clusters, its large flowers fade to pink over time, creating an inflorescence in a range of pink and mauve. With its lush appearance that could almost be described as exotic, this large "rhodo" allows for the creation of superb screens at the back of flower beds or majestic evergreen hedges.

Rhododendrons are plants of the heath family, just like heathers, preferring mostly limestone-free soils, with an acidic tendency, and humid climates. Rhododendron catawbiense is a botanical species with great development originating from the USA, more precisely from the mountain slopes of the southern Appalachians, which extend from Virginia to Georgia. It is characterized by remarkable resistance to cold and diseases that can affect these bushes. Frequently planted in American gardens, it has been hybridized with less hardy species from the Himalayas to produce some of our most spectacular rhododendrons.

'Roseum Elegans' is in the same vein as 'Grandiflorum', although its development is slightly less important. It forms a large bush with a slightly spreading rounded habit, as wide as it is tall. Its growth is relatively fast, reaching an average of 2m (6ft 7in) in all directions (sometimes up to 2.50m (8ft 2in) in width) under good conditions. The branches are abundantly covered with beautiful glossy foliage of dark olive green, composed of narrow, slightly arched, oblong-shaped evergreen leaves. The remarkably abundant flowering takes place from the end of May to mid-June. The large funnel-shaped flowers are gathered in large spherical clusters, containing up to 20 funnel-shaped flowers. The colour of the flowers when they bloom is a lavender-pink washed with fuchsia and speckled with red in the centre. Over time, they take on a more mauve hue and reveal a throat speckled with bronze occupied by long, curved stamens of deep pink colour. This heathland bush will find its place in partial shade in a cool, humus-rich, well-drained acidic soil. Rhododendron catawbiense 'Roseum Elegans' is hardy across many climatic zones.