Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Rhododendron ‘Mardi Gras’
Mardi Gras Rhododendron
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 4 to 5 ft
- Width
- 3 to 4 ft
- Flower color
- Soft lavender-pink to white blooms opening from dark pink buds
- Foliage color
- Dark green evergreen leaves with brown undersides
- Bloom time
- Spring to late spring (typically May)
- Light
- Part shade to part sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low to moderate; deadhead spent flowers and prune lightly only when needed
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Wildlife
- Spring flowers attract bees and other pollinators; evergreen structure offers shelter and cover for small birds and other garden wildlife
About this plant
Rhododendron 'Mardi Gras' is a compact, broadleaf evergreen with dense, rounded growth and dark green leaves with tan indumentum beneath. In mid- to late spring, reddish-pink buds open to trusses of about 3-inch flowers, pale lavender pink to white with deeper pink edges and highlights. The clusters cap the foliage in color and draw bees and other pollinators through the main rhododendron season.
A yakushimanum hybrid raised by Robert M. Bovee in Oregon around 1950 and registered in 1975, 'Mardi Gras' offers showy bloom and durable foliage. It is valued in cool, temperate gardens for its compact habit and festive spring display in foundation plantings, woodland borders, and mixed rhododendron groupings.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Borders · Containers · Woodland Gardens
Companion plants
Pieris · Japanese forest grass · Brunnera · Viburnum · Trillium · Lungwort
Design tip
Repeat ‘Mardi Gras’ through a mixed shrub planting to carry its rounded form across the garden and create continuity between larger plants. Its softly blended pink and white flowers keep the spring display lively without overwhelming neighboring shrubs with stronger colors.
