Rhododendron 'Microhirs9' BLOOMBUX^® MAGENTA

In 2006 Germany announces their first encounter with the box tree moth attacking large areas of cultivated box plants. The infection quickly spreads and chemical treatment works only if used repeatedly and mostly for small gardens. It appears that there is no predator. Therefore, rather than pumping the gardens with more toxins, breeders invent plants that would work as good substitutes to box plants with equal use, and the moths would stay away from them. The biggest success were several varieties of Japanese holly (ilex crenata) and similar species and hybrids.

Interesting fact is that in 1997, which is almost 10 years before the first moth was discovered, a couple of German breeders Walter Preil and Ralf Lüttmann managed to breed a new rhododendron cross that looked very similar to box. No wonder that at the age of dying box fields this new plant receives a lot of attention, and consequently a patent, and a name that says something like "hey, I am almost a box, too!". The name is BLOOMBUX^®, how clever. In 2015 it is awarded the golden medal in Show Your Colours competition at the IPM nursery fair in Essen.

BLOOMBUX^® MAGENTA rhododendron is a sister variety which rose from the same breeding as NUGGET BY BLOOMBUX^® and only differs in having deeper pink flowers with magenta calyxes. It is a beautiful rhododendron cross between r. micranthum and r. hirsutum. It is a compact, evergreen shrub with profusion of small but lovely flowers from late May until mid June. They open from dark pink buds into funnel-shaped flowers that look like miniature weigela flowers. Lush leaves are evergreen, narrowly elliptic, dark green with thin magenta margins as they emerge, glossy, and so elegant that a plant without flowers looks as irresistible as in full bloom. It looks great as a small specimen in a border or in planters on a balcony or patio, and is often used for low, informal hedges and along pathways.

It grows moderately and can be trimmed immediately after flowering. It forms bushy and compact shrubs about one meter tall and wide. No deadheading is necessary, especially if you prune it. 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 leave-mould. It is hardy to min. -25°C (USDA zone 6) and is expected to take a couple of degrees lower. Keep plants in pots always moist and never use a saucer.

Last update 17-12-2021