Southgate Brandi Rhododendron

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Partial Sun

(3 - 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

3-4 Feet

Mature Spread

3-4 Feet

Growing Zones

6 to 9

Beautiful spring flowers, year-round interest, heat tolerance and disease resistance—it’s all here in one tidy package! Southgate Brandi shakes off the gray days of winter with deep pink flower buds that open to soft pink blossoms that bees and pollinators adore. The backs of the flowers are a deeper pink, making for a lovely two-toned effect. After the flowers fade, the shrub takes its place as a deep green backdrop for other seasonal performers. You’ll appreciate that evergreen foliage even more as winter rolls around, as it brings some much-appreciated emerald color to the garden’s off season.

Southgate Brandi’s compact size—just 3-4 feet tall and wide—makes it especially useful in smaller gardens. It stays low enough to plant under most windows and alongside paths and doors. In larger gardens, it works well in front of taller shrubs, either alone or en masse, creating a care-free, evergreen garden element. Its small size also makes it useful in containers that can be placed on either side of an entryway or to add height or a focal point to a garden area. It is particularly charming when planted with other woodland plants like coral bells (Heuchera), foamy bells (Tiarella), ferns, hostas and ligularia.

Southgate Brandi Rhododendron Care

All Southgate rhododendrons have been bred to be especially heat tolerant and disease resistant. Give it a good start by siting it in part sun to shade and planting in soil that drains well. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball, remove the plastic pot and plant it an inch or two higher than it was in the pot. Water in thoroughly then regularly the rest of the season. For in-ground plantings, you’ll need to water the first year after planting when rainfall is less than one inch. If you are growing the rhododendron in a pot, you will need to pay more attention to rainfall amounts as containers tend to dry out. After the first year, your rhododendron requires minimal spring attention in the form of an inch or two of mulch and a scattering of slow-release granular fertilizer labeled for acid-loving plants. Southgate Brandi Rhododendron require no pruning, other than to trim off the occasional dead branch.

Southgate Brandi Rhododendron Spacing

Give these rhododendrons a couple feet all around when planting with other shrubs or perennials, or beside an entryway or path. If you are massing more than one, you can snug them a little closer, 18 inches center-on-center to create the appearance of one plant. For container plantings, use a large frost-free pot with an opening of at least 16-18 inches and that holds several gallons of potting soil. Be sure to site the pot where it receives part sun to shade and water regularly.