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Key characteristics

Family: Ericaceae
Height: 3 to 6 ft
Width: 3 to 4 ft
Flower color: Reddish-purple to lavender-purple, often with a deep purplish-red blotch
Foliage color: Glossy, leathery evergreen leaves
Bloom time: Late midseason (around April to May)
Light: Part shade to dappled shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low to moderate; shallow root system benefits from mulch to retain moisture; deadhead spent flowers after bloom
Growing zone: USDA zones 5 to 8
Wildlife: Showy spring flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies; evergreen foliage offers year-round shelter and cover for birds and small wildlife

Shrubs

Rhododendron 'Anah Krusche'

Anah Krusche Rhododendron

Rhododendron 'Anah Kruschke' is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with dense dark green foliage and a rounded habit. In mid- to late spring, it bears dome-shaped trusses of widely funnel-shaped flowers, each about 3 inches across. Blooms are strong reddish-purple with a deeper purplish-red blotch on the upper lobe, creating a rich display that often lasts from April into May.

Bred in Clackamas County, Oregon, by Franz Kruschke and named for his wife Anah, this hybrid combines the cultivar 'Purple Splendour' with a seedling of Rhododendron ponticum.

Light

Part shade to dappled shade

Water

Medium

Bloom time

Late midseason (around April to May)

Find this plant

Works well in

Shade Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Native Gardens
Woodland Gardens

Companion plants

Fatsia · Skimmia · Tiarella · Camellia · Trillium · Lily-of-the-valley

Design tip

The rich reddish-purple flowers of ‘Anah Kruschke’ can bring depth to a shade garden, especially among plants with lighter green or variegated foliage. Its naturally rounded shape also gives mixed plantings a sense of fullness without making them feel overly formal.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)