Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'
RHODODENDRON
Family: Ericaceae
Quick Jumps
Growing Guide
Rainy Side Notes
GROWING GUIDE
Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Shrubs.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 4-6, 15-17.
USDA zones: 6-8.
Heat zones: 8-6.
Mature size:
Height: 7 feet (2.2 m).
Width: 7 feet (2.2 m).
Flowering period:
May to June.
Flowering attributes:
Funnel-shaped, white flowers with yellow to bronze-red marking its throat on loose trusses bearing 7-8 flowers. Buds are mauve color opening to white.
Leaf attributes:
Elliptic, medium size, evergreen leaves.
Growth habit:
Round.
Light:
Full sun to part shade.
Soil:
Humus rich, well-drained, acidic soil.
Pruning Methods:
Lightly prune for symmetry after the shrub has finished flowering, rarely needs pruning.
Rainy Side Notes
Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' is a cross of R. caucasicum x ponticum var album. Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' was an early hybrid introduced in 1830 by hybridizer George Cunningham. His hybrid may hold the record for the most propagated rhododendron ever. To this day it is still the best rootstock for grafted plants and used throughout the world for grafting rhododendrons. There are a many great hybrids with R. 'Cunningham's White' in their parentage. It's disease resistant, and in my Pacific Northwest garden, it is not plagued by root weevils, a problem others have. When the leaves are consistently looking ratty from the damage of weevils, I yank them out of my garden and replace with resistant varieties.
I am not sure I would have selected this one for my garden. Having inherited it with our home, we replanted it to a better position in the garden. Now I enjoy it as it gets more beautiful every year. Most of the year it provides a dark green backdrop for the other plants in the garden, and when it is in bloom I love to pick a truss bouquet for the house.
It is said, it often flowers in autumn; however, I have not seen this happen on my shrub.
This hybrid is more tolerant of alkaline soil than most rhododendrons. Provide supplemental water during our drought season.
Debbie Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton