Rhododendron Robert Seleger

Rhododendron 'Robert Seleger' is a slow-growing horticultural variety with a compact habit, slightly more vigorous than the species. Its evergreen foliage up of small elongated, beautiful glossy dark green leaves, is ornamental all year round. In spring, it provides a perfect backdrop for the magnificent lilac-pink blooms that completely cover the bush. It is extremely hardy and grows in acidic, humus-bearing, moist soil that retains moisture in summer, in sunny to semi-shady exposure. Its dimensions make it a good subject for container cultivation.

Rhododendrons are members of the Ericaceae family, which includes many ornamental genera (Kalmia, Leucothoe, Erica, Calluna, Oxydendrum, Gaultheria, Pieris...) as well as some small fruits (Vaccinium: blueberry, Arbutus: strawberry tree, Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi: bearberry). The Rhododendron genus is very rich in species (about a thousand), including Azaleas (horticultural name, they are actually Rhododendrons).
Native to Tibet, Yunnan in China, and Myanmar (Burma), Rhododendron keleticum is a mountain species that grows at altitudes of 3,000 to 3,900 m. The cultivar 'Robert Seleger' is a horticultural variety obtained by German breeder Dietrich G. Hobbie in 1960, by crossing the species with another Rhododendron that is now forgotten. The result of this cross is a beautiful hybrid with characteristics quite similar to R. keleticum. Its growth is slow, after 10 years of cultivation, it will form a vegetative cushion 30 cm high by 50 cm wide and after 20 years, 40 to 50 cm high by 80 to 100 cm wide. Its beautiful evergreen foliage is proportionate to its dimensions, so the leaves are relatively small. Lanceolate, elongated with a pointed tip, they measure about 5 to 6 cm long by 2 cm wide. Their beautiful dark green surface is somewhat glossy, giving them a pronounced ornamental character.
It blooms in May, in the form of superb trumpet-shaped flowers. Gathered in clusters of a few flowers, they adopt a bright lilac-pink colour punctuated with small purple spots near the corolla's centre. They are very abundant and cover the entire foliage, forming a magnificent spectacle for approximately 3 weeks. This rhododendron is very hardy, down to -23°C.

This 'Robert Seleger' Rhododendron, with its compact habit, can easily be grown in a container on a terrace or balcony due to its slow growth and reduced dimensions. With its ground-covering cushion vegetation, it will be perfect in the foreground of an ericaceous bed. To create attractive layers of vegetation, plant a Canadian Dogwood (Cornus canadensis) alongside it, with low-growing and spreading vegetation, adorned with beautiful foliage that turns fiery purple-red in autumn, large white floral bracts in summer, and decorative red fruits. Behind the Rhododendron, low, upright shrubs such as Mountain Laurels (Kalmia latifolia) will delight you with their attractive blooms. Finally, in the background, you can plant tall shrubs or small trees, such as the fabulous Japanese Maples with their cut foliage in green, variegated, purple, red, or golden, depending on the variety.