Rhododendron 'MOGAMBO'

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.

Mogambo is a fantastic variety of deep purple-blue rhododendron bred by Holger Hachmann in 2004. Its flowers are large, open wide with slightly frilled margins, marked with a deep maroon-red blotch in the throat. Evergreen leaves are leathery, elongated and quite long – up to 17 cm. It grows medium fast and can reach about 1.4m tall and 1.6m wide when 10 years old. Received Silver Medal at horticultural fair BUGA in Munich 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. Fully hardy to min. -24°C (USDA zone 6), probably much more.

Last update 11-12-2011