Rhododendron Sir Charles Lemon

Rhododendron 'Sir Charles Lemon' is a magnificent natural hybrid discovered before 1851 in the Himalayas. If your climate and soil allow it, this is a spectacular variety to absolutely adopt. This true little tree is remarkable in every way, and particularly attractive even outside of flowering. Its reddish wood bears astonishing, evergreen foliage in a matte khaki colour with a touch of rust. Its beautiful white flowering, less sophisticated than mid-season hybrids, often lasts for a month. While it takes a few years to reach its full potential, the spectacle of its growth makes the wait for flowering worthwhile. Often outliving its planter, this historic variety is one that is cultivated for posterity. As amazing as it is beautiful, this very tall "rhodo" allows for the creation of superb screens or sumptuous evergreen hedges.

Rhododendrons are plants from the heath family, just like heathers, preferring mostly limestone-free, acidic soils and humid climates. The Rhododendron 'Sir Charles Lemon', cultivated since 1851, is a spontaneous hybrid probably resulting from the cross-breeding between a Rhododendron arboreum ssp. cinnamomeum and a R. campanulatum ssp. campanulatum. Originating from seeds brought back by the fabulous plant explorer Sir Joseph Hooker, the original plant, from which all currently marketed plants are descended, germinated in Cornwall, in the garden of a plant enthusiast named Sir Charles Lemon of Carclew. It is characterized by good resistance to sunlight and heat, as well as very significant growth.

'Sir Charles Lemon' has a conical shape, taller than it is wide. Its growth is quite slow, reaching an average height of 6m (20ft) and a width of 3m (10ft) at maturity in good conditions. The young shoots and leaves are green and covered in white fuzz. Over time, the branches turn reddish-brown while the undersides of the leaves become cinnamon-orange. The evergreen leaves are narrow and pointed. Flowering occurs on shrubs about ten years old, reaching a height of 1.2m (4ft) to 1.5m (5ft). It usually takes place in April and lasts for about 4 weeks. The bell-shaped flowers are clustered in spherical bouquets at the ends of the branches. They are white, slightly speckled with violet on the upper lobe. This ericaceous shrub will thrive in semi-shade in a moist, humus-rich, permeable, well-drained soil with an acidic pH. The Rhododendron 'Sir Charles Lemon' is hardy (down to -12/-15°C (10.4/5°F) for short periods), but its early flowering is vulnerable to late frosts.

The Rhododendron 'Sir Charles Lemon' may not be the most cold-resistant, but its almost tree-like habit and magnificent foliage colours make it one of the most spectacular. Its early white flowering is far from the fixed and artificial appearance of more modern hybrids. It can be used as a standalone or in a shrubbery, in the company of other ericaceous plants. It can be combined with narrow and conical conifers for silhouette contrast, magnolias, Andromeda (Pieris), mountain laurels (Kalmia), green or purple-leaved Japanese maples... It can even create a majestic hedge along a grand avenue, alongside other large rhododendrons such as the 'Boddaertianum' or 'Catawbiense Grandiflorum' varieties, for example. You can also pick a few flowering branches for the house: the colours of the stems and foliage, combined with the simplicity of the flowers, create a bouquet as unexpected as it is charming.