Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Rhododendron 'Mrs. Betty Robertson'
Mrs. Betty Robertson Rhododendron
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 4 to 6 ft
- Width
- 4 to 6 ft
- Flower color
- Soft creamy yellow blooms with a hint of pink, often with a contrasting dark red blotch
- Foliage color
- Dark olive-green evergreen leaves with a slightly textured, twisted tip
- Bloom time
- Mid spring (typically April to May)
- Light
- Part shade to filtered sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; deadhead spent flowers and prune lightly only when needed
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- 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 'Mrs. Betty Robertson' is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with a rounded habit and medium-sized, leathery dark green leaves. In mid to late spring it bears trusses of funnel-shaped flowers, pale yellow with a soft pink flush and a rosy-red blotch on the upper lobe. As they age the blooms often turn creamy yellow, so the shrub can show pale yellow, cream, and faintly blushed flowers together.
This campylocarpum hybrid was introduced by M. Koster & Sons of Boskoop, Netherlands, around 1920. Rounded trusses, warm pastel tones, and dependable evergreen foliage suit woodland borders, mixed rhododendron plantings, and smaller garden spaces where spring color and year-round structure are welcome.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Foundation Plantings · Cottage Gardens · Woodland Gardens
Companion plants
Sweet box · Bleeding heart · Pieris · Foam flower · Lungwort · Ajuga
Design tip
Build a softly colored spring grouping around ‘Mrs. Betty Robertson,’ allowing its creamy yellow and blush flowers to connect neighboring pink and white bloomers. Its rounded form can anchor the arrangement afterward, keeping the planting balanced once the spring flowers have finished.
