Rhododendrons

Rhododendron 'Praecox'
ciliatum x dauricum
H4
FCC 1978, AGM (1993) 2012
Flowers: lax trusses of 2 to 4 mauve purple flowers.
Feb/March.
Foliage: ovate, 25-60 x 15-27mm, evergreen or partially so, dark green above, scaly below.
10 year height/spread: 1m/1m
Recognise by: the flowering time and colour; the dark scaly curved shiny foliage with a few marginal hairs, and the tendency to bare twiggy growth on older plants.
Still one of the best and most reliable early hybrids. Striking but subtle in flower at a time when there is little in the garden. Can get bare with age, but responds well to pruning. Not as hardy as the 'PJM' group.