Rhododendron 'ALEXEY'

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.

Sometimes I sense a certain antipathy towards pink flowering rhododendrons, as if there were far too many. Well, I agree that there are a lot of them but they are not always the same pink, ask a painter how many pinks there are. For instance, Alexey rhododendron – just look at its stunning shade of pastel pink in a unique combination with a vanilla yellow throat, and admit that you have hardly seen anything like that before.

Its flowers are 6-7 cm across, broadly funnel-shaped, and appear late in the season – from early June for about 3 weeks. Evergreen leaves are leather but slightly thinner, narrowly obovate, 12-14 cm long, dark green, and partially glossy. The plant grows moderately into a spreading but compact, dome-shaped shrub about 1.5 m tall in maturity. This gem is a cross between varieties James Burchett and Balbina and was bred by Holger Hachmann from Barmstedt in Germany, and introduced in 1997.

For a better-looking plant deadhead rhododendrons where possible. The roots are shallow, spreading to sides in search for nutrients. Never plant them too deep. The soil must well-drained, acidic (of pH value 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. -25°C (USDA zone 6) and may withstand a few degrees lower (more trials pending).

Last update 28-01-2021