Rhododendron wardii 'GOLDKOLLIER'

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.

Wardii rhododendrons originate in Tibet and are used for cross breeding in Europe since they can offer beautiful shades of yellow. Goldkollier is a perfect example from Germany. This variety bears large trusses of deep yellow flowers with fantastic orange margins and elegant reddish-brown dots in the throat. The blooms recall another compact rhododendron variety from the USA called Nancy Evans. Unlike Nancy Evans this one has larger, ovate, rounded, almost flat leaves that are mid green. It starts flowering in mid May. Being a compact plant it grows some 80 cm tall and 100 cm wide in 10 years. Bred and introduced by Hans Hachmann in 2005.

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. In Central-European conditions it is supposed to be hardy to about -21°C (USDA zone 6), perhaps a little more on protected sites.

Last update 22-12-2010