by Sally Gregson

EVERY year at Chelsea nursery exhibitors introduce new, interesting plants, and the plant that won lots of praise ten years ago was a lime-tolerant rhododendron. How many times have we who garden on limey soils been tempted to try an especially beautiful rhododendron or azalea, only to find a few years later that its leaves are yellow and it simply refuses to grow well in our alkaline garden?

The Inkarho rhododendrons, ‘rhodos’, are happy in soil that has a pH of up to 7.5, providing it is fertile and well-draining. They also put up happily with quite a bit of sun, unlike most rhodos that prefer the shade.

Rhododendron Inkarho ‘Bloombux Magenta’ is a vigorous, yet low-growing plant that would even grow into a hedge. It reaches about 75cm in good soil and would be a beautiful substitute for box. It flowers reliably in early summer with bright magenta pink flowers and can be trimmed after flowering to make a hedge.

Inkarho rhodos have been grafted onto a very special lime-tolerant rootstock that was discovered in a German lime quarry and developed over 20 years.

Not only are the rhodos lime-tolerant, but the beautiful, dwarf Yakushimanum varieties have been grafted onto the Inkarho rootstock. Now they are easy to grow on almost any good soil, with the typical ‘Yak’ foliage and compact flowers.

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Rhododendron ‘Anuschka Inkarho’ is red in bud opening to rose-pink flowers. The flowers of R. ‘Gomer Waterer Inkarho’ open white with a golden flare. And R. ‘Schneekrone’ is a Yak with soft pink-and-white flowers with red spots.

It is especially important to feed the Inkarho rhodos with a slow-release ericaceous feed in March and after flowering to encourage healthy growth and lots of flower the following year.

All Yaks are suitable for tubs and large containers. So many rhodos are just too big to live in a pot, but these would make an especially lovely addition to a selection of containerised ericaceous shrubs, and would flower well every spring.