Buy hybrid rhododendron Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses (PBR)'

Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses' (PBR)

Position: partial shade
Soil: moist, well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost
Rate of growth: slow to average
Flowering period: May to June
Hardiness: fully hardy

This is a free-flowering rhododendron that looks a picture in late spring and early summer. It is one of the new breed that has attractive foliage colour - emerging with a bronze flush before turning green. It is the undersides of the leaves that are really special though, being a deep pinkish red that offsets the flowers perfectly.
Garden care: Avoid planting too deeply. Prior to planting, incorporate plenty of neutral or acidic organic matter (composted tree bark, leaf-mould, decomposing pine/spruce needles or composted bracken). and a scoop of mycorrhizal fungi to aid root establishment. After lightly trim back shoots that spoil the symmetry of the plant. Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of leaf mould around the base of the plant each spring.