Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'
Cunningham's White Rhododendron
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 3 to 5 ft
- Width
- 3 to 5 ft
- Flower color
- White flowers; may have a yellow-green or light blotch/marking in the throat
- Foliage color
- Glossy dark green evergreen leaves
- Bloom time
- Mid to late spring
- Light
- Partial shade to filtered sun
- Water
- Even moisture
- Maintenance
- Low; remove spent flower clusters after bloom; light pruning
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Wildlife
- Spring blooms attract bees and other pollinators; evergreen foliage provides cover and shelter for birds and small wildlife year-round
About this plant
Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with a dense, rounded habit and dark green foliage. Mauve to light pink buds open into trusses of funnel-shaped white flowers with a yellow-green eye in the throat. Flower clusters appear in late mid-spring, giving a soft flush of white blossom against the foliage.
This hybrid was raised in the early 1800s at Comely Bank Nurseries in Edinburgh, Scotland, by Cunningham. It has been widely planted for generations and is often used in hedges, woodland borders, and foundation sites, where dependable bloom and evergreen foliage provide lasting structure in the garden.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Borders · Containers · Woodland Gardens
Companion plants
Fatsia · Foamflower · Viola · Aucuba · Ferns · Trillium
Design tip
Repeat ‘Cunningham’s White’ along a boundary or garden room to form a softer alternative to a tightly clipped evergreen hedge. Its white spring flowers can brighten the planting without dominating it, making this rhododendron especially useful in restrained or monochromatic designs.
