Rhododendron 'BRIGITTE'

Brigitte is a fantastic rhododendron, no wonder that its breeder Hans Hachmann gave it a girl’s name – I bet the girl was as charming as this piece. Brigitte is a compact and very bushy growing rhododendron that will attract your attention yet before it starts flowering. It bears handsome, evergreen, glossy, long and narrowly lanceolate leaves that persist for as long as 3 years before the plant drops them.

Flowers are as beautiful as the leaves – they burst out late in the season from pink buds into white flowers with rich pink overlay at the margins and golden-yellow throat. The shrub grows slowly, making a cushion-like bush, about 1m tall and 1.3m wide in 10 years. Bred by Hans Hachmann in 1980.

For richer flowering and growth dead-head where possible. The roots are shallow, spreading to sides in search for nutrients. Never plant them too deep. The soil has to be acidic (pH 4.5-5.5), rich in humus, cool and always moist. Ideal soil mixture is peat with lime-free, light garden soil topped with leaf-mould. Very hardy to min. -27°C (USDA zone 5b), possibly more.

Last update 29-01-2012; 14-04-2015