1 / 3

Key characteristics

Family: Ericaceae
Height: 6 to 10 ft
Width: 6 to 12 ft
Flower color: Purple to reddish-purple, widely funnel-shaped flowers often with subtle spotting
Foliage color: Evergreen dark green leathery leaves with a scaly texture on the surface
Bloom time: Mid to late spring
Light: Full sun to part shade
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Low to moderate; requires minimal pruning beyond removing spent blooms and shaping
Growing zone: USDA zones 7a to 9b
Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinators; evergreen foliage provides shelter for birds

Shrubs

Rhododendron concinuum

Concinuum Rhododendron

Rhododendron concinnum is an evergreen shrub with narrow elliptic leaves, dark green above and gray-green beneath from a fine scaly coating. In mid to late spring it produces loose terminal clusters of widely funnel-shaped flowers in purple to purplish-red shades, often with darker spotting in the throat. Flowers may be lightly fragrant and sit above the foliage.

Native to high-elevation forests of China, it reached Western gardens through 19th and early 20th century plant collecting.

Light

Full sun to part shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Mid to late spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Woodland Gardens
Fragrant Gardens

Companion plants

Phlox · Pittosporum · Hardy mums · Feather reed grass · Cranesbill · Butterfly bush

Design tip

Allow Rhododendron concinnum to become a taller anchor within a layered shrub planting, where its branching form can develop without crowding. Lower-growing plants around its base will emphasize its increasingly tree-like outline and create a gradual transition to the surrounding garden.