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Key characteristics

Family: Ericaceae
Height: 5 to 8 ft
Width: 5 to 8 ft
Flower color: White blooms with a greenish-yellow blotch in the throat (buds often pale pink)
Foliage color: Evergreen, glossy dark green leaves
Bloom time: Mid to late spring
Light: Part shade
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Low to moderate; remove spent flowers, prune lightly to maintain shape
Growing zone: USDA zones 4 to 8
Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinators; evergreen foliage provides shelter for birds

Shrubs

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Album'

White Catawba Rhododendron

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Album' is an evergreen shrub with dense, leathery, dark green foliage and an upright, rounded habit. In late spring, it produces trusses of large, bell- to funnel-shaped flowers. Buds may show a faint blush before opening to clean white blooms, each marked with a greenish to yellow-green blotch or shading in the throat, adding subtle detail.

'Album' is a species native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States.

Light

Part shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Mid to late spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Shade Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Native Gardens
Woodland Gardens

Companion plants

Leucothoe · Solomon’s seal · Bergenia · Japanese plum yew · Hosta · Snowdrops

Design tip

Anchor a shaded foundation planting with ‘Album’, allowing its rounded evergreen form to visually connect the house with surrounding garden beds. The white spring flowers can also lighten areas beneath taller trees, especially when nearby plantings remain restrained during its flowering season.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)