Rhododendron 'WREN'

Rhododendrons are reliable, beautifully flowering, evergreen shrubs of variable origin: S.W. China, Himalayas, Northern America, and even Europe. The original species were hybridized several times for better performance so in the 1950´s there were more than 10,000 cultivars registered, and the number keeps increasing.

Wren is a dwarf rhododendron from Great Britain, bred by P.A. Cox in 1971. It is a cross between r.ludlowii and „Yaku Fairy“. Its evergreen leaves are small, leathery, ovate, and mid green, turning bronze in winter. It gets completely smothered with pale yellow, widely campanulate flowers in mid spring. It grows slowly into a compact shrub of equal height and width when young (5-7 years), and when it reaches about 40 cm high it slows down vertical growth and starts spreading to sides, forming a dense cushion.

Dwarf rhododendrons seldom require deadheading. 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. It is hardy to min. -24°C (USDA zone 6) and is expected to take a couple of degrees lower.

Last update 22-02-2013