Rhododendron Lord Roberts

Rhododendron 'Lord Roberts' is an absolutely stunning old hybrid with dark red flowers. It is a hardy evergreen bush that can tolerate the sun and even heat in cool soil. With its large, shiny flowers of dark red, maculated with purple and adorned with white stamens, it is perfect for brightening up the garden in spring. Its dark green, glossy evergreen foliage is interesting even when not in bloom. This excellent variety has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit for its ornamental qualities and performance in the garden. With its dense, compact, and upright habit, it will be magnificent in an ericaceous bed or in a large container, in partial shade or even in full sun!

Rhododendrons belong to the Ericaceae family, just like heathers, preferring humid climates and soils devoid of limestone, tending towards acidity. 'Lord Roberts' naturally forms a dense, compact, and upright bush, reaching about 2 m (6.6 ft) in height and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in width. Its growth is rather slow. Its evergreen leaves, with a slightly satin finish, are elliptical in shape and cover the plant well. They have a very fuzzy underside. In May, its remarkably abundant flowering overwhelms the bush: beautiful large bell-shaped flowers open in loose corymbs. Their very intense dark red colour, maculated with dark purple, is enhanced by the shiny texture of the petals and the white tips of the stamens, like small jewels clustered at the heart of the flower.

Rhododendron 'Lord Roberts' is a glossy bush, hardy down to -15° C (5° F) or even -20° C (-4° F) and easy to grow as long as the conditions suit it, in terms of soil and climate. Even though they prefer partial shade, hybrid Rhododendrons with large flowers can tolerate the sun as long as it is not scorching and their base remains cool. 'Lord Roberts', with its generous and sparkling flowering, will elegantly dress up a small partially shaded area of the garden, terrace, or balcony. Plant it alongside ferns, blue or variegated hostas, Pieris, heathers, Kalmias, Azaleas, and Japanese Maples, or other rhododendrons from the same group to create stunning patchworks of textures and colours in spring. Cultivating it in a container requires regular watering with non-limestone water and specific fertiliser for ericaceous plants.