rosebay rhododendron
Rhododendron maximum
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size5 to 15 feet tall5 to 12 feet wide
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Bloom color
- Rose-purplish to pink to white
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) is an evergreen shrub for specimen plantings, woodland gardens, shade gardens, and borders. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Large bell-shaped flowers open in summer, and bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds visit them. It is not a favorite of rabbits, though hungry rabbits will eat almost anything. The leathery leaves are the largest of any native rhododendron.
Pairs well with Christmas fern, Paper birch, and Sedge.
Native range
Eastern North America.