Rhododendron Blue Jay

Rhododendron 'Blue Jay' is a beautiful rhododendron that will quickly become the star of a heathland bed or a balcony! Of medium stature, with compact vegetation and adorned with dense and glossy foliage, this variety offers an extraordinary flowering in May-June: its dark mauve buds are accompanied by fully open flowers in lavender blue to light mauve, with purple macules, forming a tenderly coloured display.  A harmonious habit, beautiful evergreen foliage, and a wonderful flowering are the assets of 'Blue Jay', which will fully demonstrate its potential in a light, damp soil devoid of limestone, un a wet climate. This Rhododendron tolerates sunny exposures better than many others if the soil remains moist.

Resulting from the cross-breeding of several species, Rhododendron 'Blue Jay' is a plant from the family of Ericaceae, almost exclusively adapted to acidic soils. It is a relatively hardy hybrid variety with large flowers. It forms a bushy and branching shrub, rather rounded, about 1.30 m (4ft) in height and 1 m (3ft) in spread, and bears persistent ovate to elliptical leaves, shiny green on top, velvety and lighter on the underside. Its growth is quite slow, its vegetation harmonious, and its foliage elegant, so that it has a real presence in the garden all year round. However, it is in May-June that it stands out thanks to its remarkably generous flowering with bright and soft nuances. The bell-shaped flowers, grouped at the end of numerous stems, are dark mauve in buds and open into a light mauve to lavender blue, adorned with a pronounced purple-red macule.

The Rhododendron 'Blue Jay' is a flowering plant and quite hardy, down to -15°C (5°F) . Although they prefer a semi-shady exposure, hybrid Rhododendrons can withstand the morning sun as long as it is not scorching and their base remains damp. 'Blue Jay', with its abundant and bright flowering, will easily dress up a shaded corner of the garden, in the company of Ferns, blue or variegated Hostas, Pieris, Heathers, Kalmias, Azaleas, and Japanese Maples, or other rhododendrons of the same group to create superb patchworks of textures and colours in spring. Rhododendrons can also be used to create beautiful hedges, alone or with camellias or mimosas (in mild climates), for example. Cultivation in pots requires regular watering with non-calcareous water and specific fertilizer for heathland plants.