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Rhododendron of the Year Plant Awards: 2024


Mid-Atlantic USA Region

R. 'Ingrid Mehlquist'

Elepidote Rhododendron: 'Ingrid Mehlquist'

Flower pale pink, maturing to pure white, burgundy blotch, broadly funnel-shaped, 2" across, wavy-edged lobes, slightly fragrant.  Ball-shaped truss has 20-22 flowers.  A late midseason bloomer.  Leaves elliptic to slightly obovate, broadly acute apex, cuneate base, flat, about 2½" long, glossy, dark green above, below pale tan aging to rusty brown indumentum.  Hairy petioles.  Dense, spreading plant habit.  Very resistant to root rot.  Grows to a typical height of 2 ft. tall in 10 years.  Cold hardy to -20°F (-29°C).  Hybridized by Mehlquist.

 
R. minus var. minus Carolinianum group

Lepidote Rhododendron: R. minus var. minus Carolinianum Group

Flower pale rosy purple, sometimes faintly spotted, about 1½" across, funnel-shaped, deeply lobed.  Truss holds 4-12 flowers.  Blooms mid season.  Leaves elliptic to elliptic-obovate, acuminate apex, broadly wedge-shaped base, up to 3½" long, glossy, mid green above, with dense dark scales beneath, yellowish midrib.  More compact than true R. minus.  Reaches a typical height of 4 ft. in 10 years.  Plant is cold hardy to -15°F (-26°C).  Native species growing in the wild in the Southern Appalachians Mountains.

 
R. 'Pocono Pink'

Evergreen Azalea: 'Pocono Pink'

Flower light to pale purplish pink with slight tint of strong pink, throat shading to white at base, pale yellow blotch with light yellow spotting over blotch and strong red spotting over pink ground, funnel-shaped, 2" across.  Blooms early midseason to midseason.  Leaves elliptic to broadly elliptic, broadly acute apex, mucronate, cuneate base, with yellowish brown hairs above and below.  Upright plant habit.  Grows to a typical height of 5 feet in 10 years.  Plant hardy to -10°F (-23°C).  Selected by Swell.

 
R. 'Admiral Semmes'

Deciduous Azalea: R. 'Admiral Semmes'

Flower funnel-shaped, bright yellow with darker blotch, 1½" across, extremely fragrant.  Blooms early midseason.  Leaves are mildew resistant, deciduous, dark green, orange-bronze to scarlet in the Fall.  Grows to about 6-7 feet tall in 10 years.  Very heat and humidity tolerant.  Hybridized by the Dodd Nursery in Alabama.  Georgia Gold Medal Award winner in 2007.

Photos (top to bottom) by Sally and John Perkins, Don Hyatt, Don Hyatt, Don Hyatt.

Prior Years Selections for Mid-Atlantic USA Region

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004


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