Rhododendron catawbiense 'Royal Resilience' PP 33702

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Royal Resilience' PP 33702 (Catawba rhododendron, mountain rosebay) is an EXCLUSIVE, NEW RELEASE from Garden Treasures and is noted for its extreme resistance to both root and foliar pathogens.  It produces beautiful large clusters of lavender flowers in the spring/early summer with evergreen foliage.  

Rhododendron catawbiense 'Royal Resilience' PP 33702 was found in 1995 by Pat McCracken of Garden Treasures as a mutation of the commonly grown Rhododendron catawbiense 'Roseum Elegans' growing in Raleigh, NC and exhibited extremely vigorous growth and disease-free foliage.  Raleigh has a borderline climate for growing Rhododendron catawbiense, and older plants typically exhibit dieback from pathogens.  Rhododendron catawbiense 'Royal Resilience' PP 33702 was evaluated for approximately 25 years and was found to be HIGHLY resistant for both root and foliage pathogens and was granted a Plant Patent in 2021.  Due to its extreme disease resistance, we suspect Rhododendron catawbiense 'Royal Resiliance' PP 33702 can be grown in much warmer, more humid areas than typical varieties of Rhododendron catawbiense.

Be among the first to plant this truly exceptional new Rhododendron!  We would love to hear feedback from you, especially gardeners in the deep south, so we can inform our customers of its performance in a wider geographical area.  THANKS!

• HARDINESS: zones 4-8(?9)
• EXPOSURE: part shade best, shade, sun - might burn in southern states
• SIZE: 4-6'+ x 4-6'+ (in time can become much larger)
• FLOWER: lavender, spring blooming
• SHIPPING SIZE:  1/2 gallon pot, 8-10" plant.  See last photo for example.