Photo: Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Rosebay Rhododendron
Rhododendron maximum
Also called great laurel, great rhododendron.
The great evergreen rhododendron of Appalachian stream valleys, with pink-white trusses in July.
EvergreenShowy flowersTolerates shadeWildlife value
- Type
- Shrub
- Mature height
- 10–15 ft
- USDA zones
- 3–7
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Sun
- Shade · Part
- Soil moisture
- Average · Wet
210
Rosebay forms the impenetrable evergreen thickets of the southern mountains and is hardy to zone 3. It demands acid, moist, well-drained soil, shade and shelter from winter wind and sun; give it that and it becomes a 12-foot evergreen wall that blooms in midsummer. Slow, long-lived and deer-resistant. All parts are toxic.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
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