Native to southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam), this member of the R. maddenii family of rhododendrons is highly FRAGRANT, however also very tender, only to 20 deg. F. The shrub will have peeling cinnamon colored bark and blooms in April, perfuming the entire area. Some collectors grow this plant outside in summer, but inside a greenhouse in winter. The flowers are quite large, 4 inches or more across with a strong yellow blotch. We received our cuttings from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden, which were given to the garden by the late Peter Schick. The plant is quite heat and drought tolerant. Some say it will root in water. Rare Variety – This variety is difficult to find anywhere due to these reasons These tender varieties are rare because they do not have a wide enough audience due to their lack of hardiness and are overlooked by the big growers. Singing Tree Gardens has made these rare varieties our passion and remain committed to producing them for future generations. Currently we are the only source in the USA for these tender, FRAGRANT plants.
