Percy Wiseman Yak Rhododendron

Peach-pink buds open to creamy yellow flowers that fade to white, so the plant carries three colors at once through the bloom. Rhododendron yakushimanum 'Percy Wiseman' grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide in part shade, hardy from Zone 6 through Zone 8.

Bloom comes in mid to late spring, and the color shift plays out over several weeks as newer flowers open behind the fading ones.

The yakushimanum hybrids come from a species native to a single Japanese island, and they inherit its best traits: dense compact habit, thick leaves with a felted tan coating underneath, and heavy bud set on young plants. They hold their foliage better through winter than most large-leaf rhododendrons, though the leaves still roll in hard cold, which reverses as soon as it warms.

This is the largest of the Yak hybrids, spreading wider than tall. Acidic soil is necessary, roughly pH 4.5 to 6.0, with good drainage and steady moisture. Mulch the shallow roots.