Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Rhododendron 'Ice Music'
Ice Music Rhododendron
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 2 to 4 ft
- Width
- 3 to 4 ft
- Flower color
- Pink buds open to creamy white blossoms with yellow flares and red speckles/nectaries in the throat
- Foliage color
- Semi-glossy olive green, evergreen leaves
- Bloom time
- Mid May to early June
- Light
- Part shade to dappled shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; deadhead spent flowers; may need occasional pruning
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Wildlife
- Flowers attract bees and other pollinators; foliage provides shelter for small birds and garden wildlife
About this plant
Rhododendron 'Ice Music' is an evergreen shrub with a compact, rounded habit and dark green foliage. In mid to late spring, it bears round trusses of funnel-shaped flowers. Buds open soft creamy pink, petals lightening toward near white as they expand, with two pale yellow flares in the throat and deep red nectaries at the base.
This hybrid was created in Bellevue, Washington, and registered in 1999. Named 'Ice Music' for its cool, luminous bloom, its rounded trusses and gentle coloring, combined with evergreen presence, suit woodland borders, mixed rhododendron groupings, and other prominent garden sites.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Borders · Pathways & Walkways · Native Gardens
Companion plants
Daphne · Brunnera · Tiarella · Camellia · Bleeding heart · Hellebore
Design tip
Bring ‘Ice Music’ toward the front of a shaded planting where its softly changing flower colors can be appreciated at close range. A darker evergreen setting will emphasize the creamy blossoms while allowing the compact shrub to remain distinct after flowering ends.
