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Rhododendron 'Lemon Dream'
$18.95 ea $13.27 ea
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Rhododendron 'Ingrid Mehlquist'
$24.95 ea
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Rhododendron 'Helsinki University'
$17.95 ea
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Rhododendron 'Hellikki'
$16.95 ea $13.56 ea
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Rhododendron cinnabarinum
$18.95 ea
Rhododendron 'Lemon Lights'
Bud-hardy to -45 degrees F!
The trumpet-shaped blooms are pale yellow with a darker yellow blotch, very showy and tightly packed into big rounded trusses. Sweet-scented, they fill the mid-spring garden with the promise of another glorious growing season. As they mature, the slender mid-green foliage begins to fill in, quickly becoming quite lush and dense.
After the spring blooms, 'Lemon Lights' remains green and beautiful through summer, then turns purple in autumn before dropping its leaves for winter. This second season of beauty sets 'Lemon Lights' apart from many Rhodies, adding to its appeal.
But the major draw of this lovely interspecific hybrid is its cold hardiness. Bud-hardy to temperatures of -30 to -45 degrees F, it is suitable for all climates in zone 4. Mulch it in well, both to offer good temperature stability and to ensure that its roots are undisturbed, and select a site with excellent drainage and acidic soil. Keep the soil well-fed and rich for best growth and flowering.
A natural slow grower, 'Lemon Lights' reaches 5 feet high and wide, and blooms for decades. It has an upright, somewhat rounded habit, multi-stemmed and very well filled with flowering branches. A superb performer, its yellow blooms and strong fragrance set it apart from many other Rhododendrons. It is a treasure for the foundation, as a hedge, or in the border. Zones 4-8.
| Genus | Rhododendron |
| Species | x |
| Variety | 'Lemon Lights' |
| Bloom Season | Mid Spring |
| Habit | Upright |
| Zone | 4 - 8 |
| Plant Height | 5 ft |
| Plant Width | 5 ft |
| Item Form | 1-Quart |
| Additional Characteristics | Bloom First Year, Easy Care Plants, Fall Color, Fragrance, Free Bloomer |
| Bloom Color | Light Yellow |
| Foliage Color | Medium Green, Purple |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun, Part Shade |
| Moisture Requirements | Moist, well-drained |
| Resistance | Cold Hardy, Disease Resistant, Pest Resistant |
| Soil Tolerance | Clay, Normal, loamy |
| Uses | Border, Fall Color, Hedge |
| Restrictions | CAN, HI, PR |
Azaleas and Rhododendrons have been interbred since the first plants were scooped out of the dirt, and for a while these "crossbreeds" were even referred to by some ghastly name — Azaleodendrons or the like.
The old rule of thumb used to be that azaleas are deciduous and rhododendrons evergreen, but if that was ever true, it isn't anymore.
The differences between the two are slight, so slight in fact that botanists do not break them into the two groups that gardeners have come to know. Rhododendrons have 10 stamens per flower, while Azaleas have only five. While both can be deciduous, that trait is typically seen more in Azaleas than Rhododendrons. The shape of the leaves is often another indicator, with larger, paddle-shaped leaves typical of Rhododendrons, Azaleas often have smaller, elliptical leaves and trumpet, or tubular-shaped flowers at the ends of the shoots.
