Rhododendron 'Queen of Hearts' (Queen of Hearts Rhododendron)


Botanical Information

FamilyEricaceae
GenusRhododendron
Cultivar'Queen of Hearts'
CategoryWoody
TypeShrub (evergreen)
OriginHybridized by Rothschild (1949). Parentage (Seed Parent x Pollen Parent): meddianum x Moser's Maroon

Details

USDA Hardiness Zone6b
USDA Hardiness Ref.
Canadian Hardiness Zone7
Canada Hardiness Ref.
RHS Hardiness ZoneH6
RHS Hardiness Ref.
Temperature (°C)-21
Temperature (°F)- 5
Height2 m
GrowthMedium
Flowering PeriodApril, May

Description and Growing Information

General DescriptionDark red buds open to black-red flowers forming a well rounded truss. The large leaves are bright green with a prominent yellow midrib.
LandscapeBest suited to larger gardens with mixed larger trees to provide the dappled shade it prefers.
PropagationPropagate by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, layering in autumn or grafting in late summer or late winter.
CultivationGrow in moist but well-drained, leafy, humus-rich acid soil in a sheltered position in part shade.
PestsVine weevil, rhododendron leafhopper, pieris lacebug, scale insects, caterpillars, aphids, powdery mildews, rhododendron petal blight, rhododendron bud blast, silver leaf and honey fungus
Notable SpecimensNational Trust Trelissick Garden, Feock, near Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom.
HabitatHorticultural origin.
Flower/Leaf Bud DescriptionDark red buds.
Leaf DescriptionElliptic-lanceolate, 15 cm long, medium green above, brown indumentum below. Compact, upright habit.
Flower DescriptionCampanulate, 10 cm across, dark crimson with black spots on the upper lobes. Dome-shaped trusses of 16 flowers.

Photographs