Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' - Ebony Pearl Rhododendron

An attractive selection with unusual, chocolate brown foliage that emerges a striking red; magenta-pink flowers in spring stand out against the dark foliage; must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil, use plenty of peat moss when planting

Height: 6 feet. Spread: 5 feet. Sun: full sun to partial shade. Hardiness zone: 6b.

Ornamental features

Ebony Pearl Rhododendron features showy clusters of hot pink trumpet-shaped flowers with violet overtones at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring, which emerge from distinctive dark red flower buds. It has attractive dark green-variegated brown foliage with hints of burgundy which emerges red in spring. The glossy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain brown throughout the winter.

Landscape

Ebony Pearl Rhododendron is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely oval form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Accent, Mass Planting, General Garden Use.

Planting and growing

Ebony Pearl Rhododendron will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.

Hardy to zone 6. Sold without warranty.