8. Red Square
Red-flowered Rhododendron cultivars
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Rhododendron repens is nature’s answer to the desire of many breeders for pure red flowers. The German breeder, Dietrich Hobbie, really knew how to use this resource. In the 1950s he bred a series of compact, hardy, floriferous cultivars such as the well-known ‘Baden Baden’ and ‘Scarlet Wonder’. These are mainly crosses with ‘Essex Scarlet’ and are excellent, frequently used garden plants.
However, there are many more to choose from, and a far greater range of variation to exploit. Just consider the early, more pinkish-red ‘Satin’, the late, deep red, ‘Buketta’, or the procumbent, fiery, ‘Carmen’.
A new development, which has mainly taken place in the USA, is crosses with Rhododendron williamsianum. This has resulted in a completely new kind of Rhododendron, as exemplified by the American hit ‘Better Half’ and its pinkish cousin ‘Kimbeth’ (across the road).
