Plant of the month April
Our plant of the month for April is the Rhododendron
Rhododendrons are an extremely popular flowering shrub, with a wide range of colours and sizes to suit any garden. Choose from purples to pinks, reds to oranges, they really are guaranteed to put on a spectacular show in your garden from Spring to early Summer.
Most Rhododendrons are evergreen, and are perfect for growing in a border in a sunny or shady spot. It is important to plant Rhododendrons in a neutral to acidic soil type, and we recommend you plant them with an ericaceous compost. They also prefer a sheltered spot in your garden.
Rhododendrons require little or no pruning. Remove dead or damaged wood, but don’t prune young bushes, wait until they are established. When planting them, make sure you give them plenty of space to grow into so that they reach their full potential.
Recommended Varieties
At Thompson’s we’re stocking a huge selection this year, which includes over 20 varieties for you to choose from. We have them in a 3 litre sized pot as well as a larger 7.5 litre pot. Here are a few of our favourites:
Cream Crest – A dwarf evergreen variety growing to around 60cm. Early flowering variety with pale cream coloured flowers.
Fantastica – Wavy-edged flowers that are pale pink in colour and dark pink margined. A small evergreen variety.
Blue Tit – Small leaved dwarf variety that has blue, funnel shaped flowers.
Morning Red – Masses of big showy flowers that are a deep pink/red colour. Compact growth.
Dreamland – A compact evergreen variety that has pale pink flowers that have darker edges to them.
Golden Torch – Bell shaped, pale yellow flowers that appear on mass in late Spring.
Purple Gem – Dwarf variety that has small leaves, producing clusters of violet coloured flowers.
Top Tips
- Dig plenty of neutral or acidic compost into the soil before planting
- Don’t plant to deeply. Rhododendrons are surface-rooting, so make sure the roots are just covered.
- Best planted in April
- Water thoroughly during dry weather
At Thompson’s, we like to grow our own plants, which means we can offer our customers more varieties to choose from, so come along to your local branch of Thompson’s and see for yourself.
Come along to your local Thompson’s and see for yourselves. Don’t forget we have an ever-expanding range of plants available to purchase on our webshop.
