Rhododendron 'MANDARIN KISS'

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.

Mandarin Kiss is another fantastic yellow flowering rhododendron variety. It was bred by Holger Hachmann from Germany in 2004, and introduced in 2017. It is a cross between r.Goldinetta and r.sanguineum hybrid. Flowers appear early in the season, often from the last decade of April. They are campanulate, golden yellow with scarlet orange-red, wavy margins, and rich red spots around the very base of the throat. Evergreen leaves are dark green, leathery, broadly elliptic, 5-8 cm long, and glossy. It grows slowly to moderately into a rounded shrub 80-90 cm tall and wide 10 years.

For a better looking plant 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. Hardiness tested down to -23°C so far (USDA zone 6).

Last update 03-12-2018