Snow-white handsome rhododendron Cunningham White - description, subsort, reproduction and care

This evergreen shrub is called Rhododendron White. Because of the elegant large inflorescences, it looks great on lawns and lawns, personal plots. This is a plentifully flowering and frost-resistant plant, perfectly adapted to our weather conditions.

From the article you will learn about Cunningham's White rhododendron subsorts, see their photos, and read about the nuances of planting and care. We also recommend watching a useful video on this topic.

Brief definition

Cunningham's White Rhododendron is a hybrid variety of the numerous genus of evergreen Caucasian rhododendrons of the heather family. The homeland is East Asia and East America, can also be found in the Caucasus.

Detailed description

Rhododendron Cunningham White - Evergreen Shrub (read about evergreen rhododendrons here). It blooms profusely. The crown is spreading, rather dense, domed in shape. Over 10 years, grows to 2 m in height and grows as much in diameter. The stems branch strongly, grows quite quickly, requires pruning.

The foliage is dark green, large, up to 12 cm in an adult bush. The leaves are elongated, leathery in structure. The buds are ripening in a light pink color. The flowers are snow-white, sprinkled with light purple or brown spots - dots on the central petal. Petals are medium, up to 5 cm in length, collected in inflorescences of 8 to 9 flowers.

Young branches are green, then become woody: overgrown with gray bark with black scales. Rhododendron root is compact, flat, superficial, does not require deep planting.

History of occurrence

The first natural varieties were noted back in the 18th century in Europe. In the 19th century In England, the breeder Cunningham has bred a hybrid cultivar of multi-flowered rhododendron, called rhododendron Cunningham White. If you are interested in knowing what hybrid rhododendrons are and what subsorts exist, then read this article.

How is this plant used in life?

Due to its unpretentiousness and good winter hardiness, parks, squares, combined flower beds are used in floriculture for urban plantings. It is considered therapeutic, it is actively used in Chinese medicine..

What is the difference from the rest of the species?

Differs in tolerance to the polluted city air, the grade is steady in frosts and droughts, and also not capricious in choosing a substrate. With proper care, blooms 2 times. Flowers have no aroma.

Subsorta and their photos

Kalsap

A tall bush, in adulthood reaches 120 - 13 cm in height and width. Crohn is wide. The flowering is dense and generous, occurs at the end of May. The leaves are dense, covered with a gloss, saturated dark green color, medium size, up to 7 - 8 cm. The flowers are milky white, with dark bard spots - placers. The variety is resistant to frost.

Cosmopolitan

Evergreen shrub, adult flower can be up to 4 m high. Differs in high frost resistance - maintains to -29 ° C in the winter. The leaves are large, oblong, dense and shiny. The flowers are pale pink, with a burgundy scattering of spots and dots. Stamens are curly.

Progress

The bush is a high-growing, adult flower with a two-meter growth. Winter hardiness is sufficient, withstands frosts up to - 27 ° C. It blooms in early May. Leaves are dense, dark green, medium length. The flowers are white - pink, wavy at the edges. Petals with a scattering of burgundy spots.

Bloom

1. When and how it blooms. Rhododendron Cunningham White blooms in April - May. They bloom profusely, some varieties may bloom a second time, in mid-autumn. This variety blooms more abundantly in the fall, in spring the flowering is not so violent.
2. Care before and after flowering - features. During bud formation, the temperature should be reduced to 10 - 12 ° C. After flowering, young, highly branched shoots must be thinned out to maintain the shape of the bush. Cropped shoots - cuttings are used for further propagation. Old inflorescences are recommended to be cleaned.IMPORTANT: During flowering, it is not recommended to spray the flowers themselves, so as not to burn them with the sun.
3. What to do if it does not bloom. The reason may be a substrate that is not suitable for rhododendron Cunningham White. Perhaps an overabundance of light is a reason for the delay in flowering, you should shade the bushes or transplant to more secluded places.

   Fertilizers should not contain a lot of nitrogen, especially in summer and autumn. With improper nutrition, an overgrowth of shoots occurs, but the kidneys are not laid.

   You also need to inspect the bushes for parasites and pests. Perhaps the flowers lack moisture. It is necessary to adjust watering.

Use in landscape design

Hybrid rhododendrons Cunningham White are decorative, they are used in compositions with coniferous trees and bushes. Also used to decorate rocky gardens of oriental style. These varieties serve as hedges on retaining walls of houses.

Step-by-step care instructions

• Choosing a landing place. The best place to plant a rhododendron is the northeast side of the house. Direct sunlight should be avoided, Cunningham White rhododendron prefers partial shade, normally develops in shady places protected from drafts. It is better to plant in wooded areas under pines and firs.
• What should be the soil. The soil should be acidic; when watering, purified water must be used. The composition of the substrate for rhododendron Cunningham White:
  1. Sheet earth - 3 hours.
  2. Peat: red, white or young - 2 hours.
  3. Coniferous litter - 1 hour.
  4. Drainage is required.
  5. Granules of mineral fertilizers.
• Landing. The landing of rhododendron Cunningham White is not complicated - the root of the flower is flat and compact compact:
  1. A landing pit of 50-60 cm in depth, width and height is dug.
  2. Drainage of any, but not alkaline, layer of 10-15 cm is laid at the bottom.
  3. Planting bush is placed vertically.
  4. Fall asleep in advance with a prepared substrate on the root neck.
  5. Mulch the soil around the trunk with crushed pine bark and coniferous spruce branches.
  6. To acidify irrigation water, an electrolyte, garden sulfur or citric acid are used.

  Planting is recommended before flowering or after it, in November.

• Temperature. Rhododendron Cunningham White needs coolness, the optimum temperature is 10 - 12 ° C. In summer, when shaded and sprayed, it can tolerate heat up to 27 ° C. The variety is frost-resistant, can withstand temperatures down to -28 - 30 ° C. But in winters with little snow, shelter and mulching of the soil is required.
• Watering. During flowering, especially in spring, watering is plentiful. It can be watered with rainwater. In summer, after sunset, foliage is required to be sprayed. In winter and autumn, watering is reduced by 2 times. In autumn, water only in dry weather.
• Top dressing. Potash fertilizers - scattered on a substrate in small doses: 2 to 3 g per 1 kg of substrate. In the spring, it is recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers, in the summer phosphorus is better suited, in the fall you can feed potash fertilizing. When top dressing, strictly observe the dosage so as not to harm the flower.TIP: Regularly use mineral organic fertilizers (Megafol, etc.). You can add compost or humus. Organic fertilizers significantly increase the quality of the substrate.
• Pruning. Rhododendron Cunningham White in early spring requires sanitary pruning, removed:
  1. damaged branches;
  2. the ends of frozen shoots;
  3. old dry branches;
  4. last year's shoots are cut in half.

  Cut off faded inflorescences is necessary for laying buds.

Watch a video about choosing a place to plant a rhododendron and caring for it:

Transfer

Seedlings grown in a container are not afraid when planting violations of an earthen coma. The transplant is carried out in early spring, Cunningham White rhododendrons quickly and painlessly take root and quickly adapt to new conditions.

How to prepare for winter?

For the winter it is better to cover young flowers with coniferous spruce branches or other dry shelter. This variety does not withstand severe frosts, roots and buds can freeze. In late spring, shelter is removed gradually to avoid burns by the early intense sun. If you are interested in frost-resistant varieties, we suggest reading this article.

Watch a video about winter rhododendron shelter:

How to propagate?

Rhododendron Cunningham White is propagated by seed, but mainly by cuttings:

1. In the spring, when laying the kidneys, cut with an oblique cut cuttings 5-7 cm long.
2. Cuttings are dipped for 16-24 hours in a solution with a root growth stimulator.
3. For rooting, they are planted in a finished special substrate to a depth of 1.5 - 2 cm at an angle of 30 °.
4. Cover with a film or a glass jar.
5. Seedlings are placed in a warm, well-lit place.
6. Seedlings take root very slowly, after 2 - 3 months.
7. Substrate: a mixture of peat and sand, 1: 1.

Diseases and Pests

• Artisanal Mushrooms - white powdery coating. It requires acidification of the soil and regular feeding with iron chelate 1 time per week.
• From garden pests - beetles, weevils, spider mites processing by Actar will help. For prophylaxis, repeat treatment after 3 to 4 weeks.

Prevention of various problems

Problems may arise from:

1. excess moisture;
2. clay content of the substrate;
3. improper dosage of dressings;
4. fungi.

Leaves may turn brown due to the sun or drying out of the substrate., it is necessary to adjust watering and spraying. To get rid of rust, chlorosis, gray rot and other fungi, processing is required - watering and spraying with any fungicide.

Conclusion

In order for the snow-white rhododendron Cunningham White to bloom and grow, he needs regular care - watering, mulching, shelter for the winter, removing weeds and pests.

Watch the video: Coppertop Sweet Viburnum. Southern Living Plant Collection (April 2024).