Rhododendron 'ORAKEL' (syn. Hachmann's Orakel)

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.

Orakel means ‘Prophecy' in German and it is a name for a fantastic variety of rhododendron bred by Holger Hachmann in 1998. It is a cross between Pfauenauge and Galaxis, launched in 2009. Its beautiful flowers have wavy margins, they are a warm tone of blueberry smoothie while the upper lobe is decorated with a dark blackberry blotch. Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? Individual flowers are 7-9 cm across, and one truss can accommodate 10-20 of them. Flowering begins in late May and continues until mid-June. The evergreen leaves are dark green, elongated, narrowly oval, partly glossy. Orakel grows upright into a handsome shrub about 100 cm high and wide ate the age of 10 years.

For a better-looking plant deadhead where possible. 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 leaf-mould. It is hardy to abt. -26°C (USDA zone 5b) and may withstand a few degrees lower (more trials pending).

Last update 15-01-2024