Rhododendron Elizabeth Red Foliage

Rhododendron Elizabeth Red Foliage is a compact hybrid that offers a magnificent orange-red flowering. This shrub, with its compact and rounded habit, has the particularity of producing young purple shoots in spring, which then turn into a more classic dark green. This little vegetal gem grows in acidic and slightly moist soil, preferably in partial shade, and is not afraid of the cold. Perfect for borders, at ease in small gardens, it can also be grown in pots on a patio. 

Rhododendrons are plants from the Ericaceae family, which includes about a hundred genera, many of which are widespread in our gardens. Heather, Kalmia, Andromeda, Leucothoe, Oxydendrum or Gaultheria are precious in ornamental beds, while Arbutus and especially Blueberries delight us with their fruits. For the most part, these plants prefer soils devoid of limestone, with an acidic tendency, as well as wet climates.

Rhododendron 'Elizabeth Red Foliage' was obtained in the United States in 1958 by the breeder Endre Ostbo. Passionate about plants and hybridisation, he opened his nursery in the city of Bellevue (Washington state, near Seattle) in 1940. His variety 'Elizabeth Red Foliage' is a hybrid of the Rhododendron griersonianum, native to Yunnan (China) and Burma. This Rhododendron forms a bush with a rounded habit and relatively slow growth, 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8in) per year, reaching about 1 m (3ft) in height in 10 years, and a little more in width. Its evergreen and leathery leaves with a shiny dark green colour are elliptical in shape, elongated, measuring from 6 to 10 cm (2 to 4in) in length and covering the plant well. They have the very unique characteristic of being purple when they emerge in spring, similar to those of Pieris, which is an additional asset of this variety.
Its other advantage is its striking flowering in April-May. Grouped in corymbs at the end of the branches, the flower buds open into funnel-shaped flowers of a bright red, slightly orange, forming a magnificent spectacle.
This Rhododendron obviously thrives in ericaceous soil, therefore in acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5) and moist, even damp conditions. It prefers partially shaded exposures and does not like drought or limestone. Its cold resistance is very good, at least down to -20°C.

The abundant and brightly coloured flowering of this small Rhododendron Elizabeth Red Foliage will easily dress up a small shaded area of the garden, along with ferns, such as the very graphic hart's-tongue fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium) with its wide and flat persistent foliage. Blue or variegated Hostas, Pieris, Japanese Maples, or other Rhododendrons will create beautiful patchworks of textures and colours in spring. Associate it with Andromeda polifolia Nikko, a charming little bush with pale pink bell-shaped flowers, and with Skimmia, with their beautiful blooms and decorative fruits. To create sumptuous foliage contrasts, plant Acer shirasawanum Aureum behind this small Rhododendron, a Japanese maple with foliage ranging from tender green to golden and then orange.