Rhododendron 'BEST DANE'

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.

Best Dane is a rhododendron variety from the Dane series developed by Svend Hansen from Denmark. It is a seedling selection of wild growing r. yakushimanum and is very similar to the famous Koichiro Wada variety, compared to which it has larger leaves and flowers. Its evergreen leaves are elongated, convex, medium to dark green, and covered with a silvery-grey indumentum which is most conspicuous especially on young leaves. From late May appear beautiful, bell-shaped flowers which burst from rich pink buds into almost pure white flowers.

It grows slowly into a low, mounding, dense shrub reaching about 80 cm in height and 150 cm in width in maturity. Although its flowers are pretty, it is mostly cultivated for the fantastic colour of young leaves which is present on the plant in various depths throughout the growing season. In the ericaceous border it is best combined with similar rhododendron and azalea specialties with attractive foliage colour.

The Dane series of rhododendron so far includes these varieties: Best Dane, Debbie Dane, Chocolate Dane, Rusty Dane, White Dane, Sticky Dane, Birck's Dane, Silver Dane, Great Dane, Needle Dane, and Wooly Dane (as of 2022). They are developed by Danish botanists and rhododendron lovers Svend Hansen and Jens Christian Birck. Svend during his trips to Yunnan, Setchuan and Nepal collected many seeds of wild-growing species, which enchanted him mainly due to their unusually shaped or colored leaves. In the southeastern part of the Himalayas, he often climbed up to an altitude of 5,000 meters, where few people went to, and he was convinced that thanks to the challenging climate the plants raised from the seeds collected there would thrive also in most parts of Europe. He closely observed their behavior and growing conditions, and as he is not only a botanist and collector, but also a nurseryman and seller, he understands that his plants must also meet strict criteria for amateur cultivation. Dane rhododendrons are therefore not only pretty and unique things, but they are also reliable and hardy.

For a better-looking plant deadhead rhododendrons where possible. They are not supposed to be pruned but may be rejuvenated if needed. You can either wait until the flowers have bloomed or prune it immediately after all frosts in late winter. This will result in quicker regeneration since the sap will wake up dormant buds as opposed to feeding the flower buds which will lead to a certain level of exhaustion. 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 at least -24 °C (USDA zone 6) but is expected to withstand a few degrees lower (results of further trials pending).

Last update 27-12-2022