Plant Library
Northern Starburst Rhododendron*
Rhododendron 'Northern Starburst'
* This is a "special order" plant - contact store for details
Height: 4 feet
Spread: 3 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4
Description:
A beautiful evergreen shrub, covered in attractive rich pink flowers in spring, ball-shaped and compact, ideal garden size; absolutely must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil, use plenty of peat moss when planting
Ornamental Features
Northern Starburst Rhododendron is smothered in stunning clusters of lightly-scented pink trumpet-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It has green evergreen foliage. The narrow leaves turn an outstanding purple in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Northern Starburst Rhododendron is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded 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.
Northern Starburst Rhododendron is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Northern Starburst Rhododendron will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. 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.
* This is a "special order" plant - contact store for details
Disclaimer - This Plant Finder tool is an online resource representing many of the varieties that we carry over the course of the season, and is intended for informational purposes only. Inventory varies seasonally, so we cannot guarantee that every plant will be in stock at all times - please contact the store directly for availability. It does not include our entire inventory of plants, so be sure to visit our store to see varieties that may not be represented on this list.