Gold Prinz Rhododendron
Rhododendron hybrid 'Goldschatz'View more from Rhododendron
Gold Prinz Rhododendron
Rhododendron hybrid 'Goldschatz'
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Special Features
Botanical Name
Rhododendron hybrid 'Goldschatz'
Outdoor Growing zone
5-9
Mature Height
2-4
Mature Width
3-5
Sun needs
Full Sun, Partial Sun
The Gold Prinz Rhododendron is a compact mounding evergreen shrub that reaches about 2 feet tall and nearly 3 feet wide in 10 years, ultimately growing to about 3 feet tall and up to 5 feet wide. It has attractive glossy rounded leaves, in a rich green color. It is widely considered to be the very best yellow-blooming rhododendron ever created, and in bloom it is a marvelous sight. The foliage disappears beneath a profusion of rounded flower heads, each one packed with bell-shaped blossoms that are a delightful cool yellow. This beam of sunlight will light up your garden, adding brightness and glory to your spring display. Grow it in smaller spaces, or in containers if your soil is not suitable.
- Smothered in golden yellow blooms in May
- Compact smaller shrub just 2-3 feet tall
- Attractive glossy foliage
- Considered the best yellow rhododendron in existence
- Perfect size for container growing
Full sun or morning sun and afternoon shade are perfect for the Gold Prinz Rhododendron. It grows well from zone 6 to zone 9, also thriving in the light shade beneath deciduous trees. It should be planted in rich, moist well-drained soil, and heavy clay soils should be amended with plenty of lime-free compost, peat or rotted leaves. It grows best in acidic soil, with a pH value of less than 6.5. If your soil is too alkaline, grow this compact plant in a planter box or container, using potting soil blended for acid-loving plants. Despite its amazing beauty, this plant is easy to grow if you have suitable soil and light conditions.
Everyone loves rhododendrons, whose wonderful flowers come in every possible shade of red, pink and purple. Much rarer though are yellow flowers, which come from just a few wild species. Yellow rhododendrons are very desirable for their beauty, but many are not very good garden plants. One, though, stands out, and that is the Gold Prinz Rhododendron, a wonderful small evergreen bush just 2 feet tall, that radiates pure sunshine in spring. Its compact size makes it perfect for smaller gardens and for growing in pots, and in May it buries itself in a golden treasure of blooms, creating an incredible sight. ‘Spectacular’ is the only adjective good enough to describe this bush, which experts all agree is the very best yellow rhododendron in existence. Grow it with purple and blue flowers, or among oranges and peaches, for a wonderful and colorful spring display.
Growing the Gold Prinz Rhododendron
Size and Appearance
The Gold Prinz Rhododendron is a mounding evergreen shrub, growing 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide within 10 years, and reaching 3 or 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide in time. It has a dense structure, and always looks neat and attractive. Its evergreen leaves are rounded, about 2 inches long, and 1½ inches wide. They are smooth and glossy, and a rich dark green, quite different from many other rhododendrons, giving this plant a distinctive and attractive look, even when not in bloom.
By late fall you will see the large flower buds at the ends of every stem, and in spring these begin to swell and open, bursting into bloom in May. Every bud contains 15 or more individual flowers, and they form a dense, rounded head of blossoms that almost touch each other across the bush, hiding the foliage. Each bloom is bell shaped with a flaring mouth, with frilly undulating edges, and a full 2½ inches across. The buds are orange-yellow, opening to a clear cool, acid yellow, decorated inside with spots and dots of a strong dark red. The abundance of large flowers creates a look that is truly spectacular.
Using the Gold Prinz Rhododendron in Your Garden
With its smaller size, there is no doubt that every smaller garden should have this plant in it. Grow it in the foreground of your beds, or alongside a path, to admire as you pass. Make it a focal point in a partially-shaded rock garden, or plant it among woodland plants. Grow it in planters and containers, where its attractive glossy leaves will be perfect when it is not blooming. Use it in Asian or Japanese styled gardens or courtyards too, where its cool coloring will perfectly retain that calm feeling.
Hardiness
The Gold Prinz Rhododendron is hardy in all warm and hot parts of the country, from zone 6 to zone 8, or zone 9 in the northwest.
Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions
Full sun or partial shade is perfect for the Gold Prinz Rhododendron, which enjoys afternoon shade in hotter areas. It will also grow well in full shade that is bright, such as on the north side of a building, in the shadow of trees, and in the light, dappled shade beneath tall deciduous trees. The soil should be enriched with organic material, and moist but well-drained. This plant is not drought tolerant, and it needs a steady supply of water, but it does not like wet and heavy soils, so add plenty of organic material and plant in a raised bed if you have clay soil. The soil should also be acidic, which is normal down much of the east, with a pH of 6.5 or less. If you have alkaline soil, don’t worry, because this shrub is perfect for containers. With its small size and fibrous root system it will thrive for years in soil that has been blended for acid-loving plants.
Maintenance and Pruning
You can leave the Gold Prinz Rhododendron to take care of itself, and it needs very little attention if it is watered regularly. We recommend removing the spend blossom heads when the blooms fall, to encourage plenty of buds for the next year. Do this by snapping off the stem just above the first leaf. This plant is normally free of pests and diseases.
History and Origin of the Gold Prinz Rhododendron
The Gold Prinz Rhododendron has a complex breeding history. Hans Hachmann, who has a nursery in the town of Barmstedt, north of Hamburg, Germany, is widely considered one of the most important rhododendron breeders of the 20th century. To create the plant officially called ‘Goldschatz’, he crossed together the varieties ‘Festivo’ and ‘Alice Street’, in 1979. Both of the parent plants are hybrids that contain genes from the wild plant Rhododendron wardii, which grows in central China. It is a species that has yellow to white blooms, a color rarely found among rhododendrons. ‘Goldschatz’ means a golden treasure, but because some people find that word difficult, this plant has been nicknamed the Gold Prinz Rhododendron, meaning gold prince. It is also wrongly sometimes listed as belonging to the Japanese species Rhododendron yakushimanum, a parent of the popular Vulcan Rhododendron which you can find listed among our plants.
Buying the Gold Prinz Rhododendron at The Tree Center
A golden rhododendron is a real show-stopper, and this one is the best there is. If you love something different that is also beautiful, you simply must plant the Gold Prinz Rhododendron in your garden. This popular variety is always hard to find, like golden treasure itself, and the demand for it is huge. Don’t hesitate to order it right away, as our stock will run out very quickly.
