Rhododendron 'FILIGRAN'

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.

Rhododendrons from the Ponticum group (Pontus = Black Sea) originate from southwestern Europe, Great Britain, the Caucasus, and Western Asia, and preserved fossils prove their even wider distribution before The Last Glacial Maximum (abt. 20,000 years ago). In modern history we find the first record of its cultivation for ornamental purposes in 1763 in Britain. They are commonly recognized by narrow leaves and spreading habit. The botanical species forms abundant suckers which allow formation of colonies often endangering original flora. Therefore, it is now considered an invasive species in many countries of its native habitat. Fortunately, most varieties that fall into this group do not have 100% of the species’ genes as they were crossbred with other species, so we needn’t about their invasion in our gardens.

Filigran is without a doubt a finery among Black Sea rhododendron hybrids - the Ponticum group. It is a cross between a very successful variety Graziella and Perlina, bred by Holger Hachmann from Germany and introduced in 2009. The variety boasts unusually narrow, elongated, and slightly curled leaves whose colour is a lighter green than on most other rhododendrons. Moreover, they are very glossy, so even when the shrub is not in bloom, it makes a very attractive evergreen gem with an exotic touch. The flowers are broadly funnel-shaped, soft lilac pink, they open from early May and the plant needs more than a couple of years and full sun to bloom regularly and profusely. Flower buds are born scarcely on young plants. It grows slowly to moderately into a dome-shaped shrub of dense habit.

For a better-looking plant deadhead where possible. The roots are shallow, spreading to sides in search for nutrients. Never plant them too deep. The soil must 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. -26°C (USDA zone 5b).

Last update 29-07-2014; 17-01-2024