Rhododendron 'Blue Peter'
rhododendron 'Blue Peter'
A bushy evergreen shrub to 3m in height, rather erect in habit, with large mid-green leaves and funnel-shaped violet-blue flowers with frilled petals, paler in the throat, in small trusses in early summer
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Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metresTime to ultimate height
10–20 yearsUltimate spread
1.5–2.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
AcidColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Blue Purple | Green | ||
| Autumn | Green | |||
| Winter | Green |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or North–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H6Botanical details
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Habit
- Bushy
- Potentially harmful
- Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises) Harmful if eaten - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
- Genus
Rhododendron can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs or trees, with simple leaves, sometimes with a dense colourful indumentum of hairs on the lower side, and funnel-shaped, bell-shaped or tubular flowers that may be solitary or in short racemes
- Name status
Accepted
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in moist but well-drained, leafy, humus-rich acid soil, best in part shade with shelter but tolerates full sun if soil remains reliably moist; see rhododendron cultivation
Propagation
Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, layering in autumn or grafting in late summer or late winter
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Coastal
- Cottage and informal garden
- Low Maintenance
- Hedging and screens
Pruning
Pests
May be susceptible to vine weevil, rhododendron and azalea whitefly, rhododendron leafhopper, pieris lacebug, scale insects, caterpillars and aphids
Diseases
May be susceptible to various Rhododendron diseases including powdery mildews, rhododendron petal blight, rhododendron bud blast, silver leaf and honey fungus
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