(c) 2011 Patty Hankins
Each year in late March I’m always surprised to see some rhododendron’s blooming in local botanical gardens. In the DC area, when you think of rhododendrons and azaleas blooming – it’s usually in May and June. So the ones blooming in March really stand out. The early blooming rhododendrons are the Korean Rhododendron (rhododendron mucronulatum).
(c) 2011 Patty Hankins
Korean Rhododendrons are native to Northern China, Korea and Japan. Here in the United States they are hardy from zones 8b to 4a. They prefer growing in sun to partial shade in moist well-drained soil.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Korean Rhododendron bloom in early to mid spring. They add a wonderful splash of color into the garden at that time of year. In the DC area, they bloom at about the same time as the Yulan Magnolia and Star Magnolias. The flowers emerge on the shrubs before the leaves emerge. Like other decidious shrubs, the Korean Rhododendrons lose their leaves each fall. In the fall, the leaves turn to shades of yellow and red.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Korean Rhododendron are a slow growing shrub that usually grow to about 4 to 8 feet tall. When full grown, they are 4 to 6 feet wide. The pink/purple flowers bloom in clusters of three or six and are about 1.5 inches in diameter.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
I have photographed Korean Rhododendron in several botanical gardens in the DC area including McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria and the National Arboretum in DC.
Some websites with additional information about Korean Rhododendron include
NC State University Department of Horticulture
University of Illinois Extension