Millais Nurseries
Small Leaved Rhododendrons
Small Leaved Rhododendrons such as cinnabarina and triflora will grow 75 - 150 cm in 10 years often with an upright habit. Their softer foliage and stunning bell shaped flowers mix well with larger rhododendrons. We have selected a range to avoid powdery mildew, but they do benefit from being planted where air circulates freely.
Featured Products
Rhododendron Boskoop Ostara
Masses of strong bright pink flowers in March on a dense twiggy, deciduous plant. With small pointed leaves, this plant improves with age. Light pruning can help maintain shape. Creates lots of interest in Boskoop, Holland where it was imported from Japan. Height 80-120cm in 10 years.
Recommended for shocking pink flowers.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: most garden situations.
Habit: twiggy, upright.
Group:...
£19.95
Rhododendron Hammondii
Lovely dainty rosy pink tubular funnel shaped flowers (25mm) with white filaments, in a compact truss. This is a very useful late flowering variety in June which has attractive dark green narrow small leaves. It forms a super neat tidy shrub. Height 75-100cm in 10 years. Also known as 'Tenellum'.
Recommended for small gardens and mixed borders. Useful to extend the flowering season.
Easy to grow.
Ideal...
£19.95
Rhododendron Ilam Violet
Wonderful deep violet blue flowers in compact clusters flowering in April-May. These flowers really glow on the plant! The lovely reddish young aromatic leaves turn lettuce green in summer, then bronze in winter. The plant is best in light shade. Height 80-100cm in 10 years.
Recommended for small gardens and mixed borders with great foliage
Easy to grow
Ideal position: most garden situations but...
from £19.95
Rhododendron Airy Fairy
(H5) A beautiful early flowering plant with glowing pink flowers and reddish spotting on the upper lobe, flowering around March. Glossy olive green leaves, almost deciduous in winter on a plant of upright habit. Height 100-125cm in 10 years. The flowers are widely funnel-shaped, with wavy lobes, about 4 cm across, in clusters of 3 or more. Leaves narrowly elliptic, about 5-7 cm long.
This plant grows...
Rhododendron ambiguum 'Crosswater'
Pale greenish yellow wide funnel shaped flowers with darker yellow spots. Very floriforous in April. ambiguum Crosswater is a reliable clone from ambiguum raised at Crosswater Farm. It is a tough, close growing shrub with a bushy upright habit and attractive small glossy leaves with glaucous scaly underside. A delightful plant that can be pruned hard after flowering. Height 100-120°Cm in 10 years.
Recommended...
Rhododendron Apricot Belle
(H5) Another interesting hybrid raised by the late Ted Millais who succeeded in breeding this R. cinnabarinum xanthocodon hybrid which is resistant to the powdery mildew and is hardier than previous clones. The buds are a deep apricot colour, opening to attractive creamy bell shaped flowers in May. Interesting glaucous foliage on a bushy plant about 75-100cm in 10 years.
Recommended for: Its interesting...
Rhododendron augustinii 'Bowood Blue'
(H5) A most beautiful shrub, with large almost blue flowers. April - May. Upright bushy habit. Some protection required for first two winters. Height 150-175cm in 10 years.
This is one of Lord Lansdowne's favourite augustinii clones from his spectacular Rhododendron collection at Bowood House. We are privileged to be the first nursery to offer this selection. It is a superb blue colour and...
Rhododendron Blue Pool
Wonderful funnel-shaped light lavender blue flowers in April - May. This plant has attractive lettuce green leaves in the summer. A slow-growing, dense and compact mounded bush. Height 80-100cm in 10 years, but getting larger in time.
Recommended for front of borders, small gardens and raised beds.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: most garden situations but avoid too much heat.
Habit: dense and...
Rhododendron Boskoop Ostara
Masses of strong bright pink flowers in March on a dense twiggy, deciduous plant. With small pointed leaves, this plant improves with age. Light pruning can help maintain shape. Creates lots of interest in Boskoop, Holland where it was imported from Japan. Height 80-120cm in 10 years.
Recommended for shocking pink flowers.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: most garden situations.
Habit: twiggy, upright.
Group:...
Rhododendron Dora Amateis AGM
Very pale pink buds open to beautiful pure white flowers with pink markings. This is a very free flowering plant in April. It is a compact grower with small palish green leaves that turn bronze if grown in sun, growing wider than tall. Height 60-80cm in 10 years. This tough plant is very adaptable, performing well in both shade and sun, but the flowers will last longer if slightly shaded.
Recommended...
Rhododendron Hammondii
Lovely dainty rosy pink tubular funnel shaped flowers (25mm) with white filaments, in a compact truss. This is a very useful late flowering variety in June which has attractive dark green narrow small leaves. It forms a super neat tidy shrub. Height 75-100cm in 10 years. Also known as 'Tenellum'.
Recommended for small gardens and mixed borders. Useful to extend the flowering season.
Easy to grow.
Ideal...
Rhododendron Ilam Violet
Wonderful deep violet blue flowers in compact clusters flowering in April-May. These flowers really glow on the plant! The lovely reddish young aromatic leaves turn lettuce green in summer, then bronze in winter. The plant is best in light shade. Height 80-100cm in 10 years.
Recommended for small gardens and mixed borders with great foliage
Easy to grow
Ideal position: most garden situations but...
Rhododendron lutescens Exbury clone
Selected clone of lutescens with larger deep primrose yellow flowers from February to April. This is an upright shrub with beautiful reddish bronze young growth. Height 140-160cm in 10 years.
Recommended for its superb early yellow flowers.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: sheltered, dappled shade.
Habit: upright.
Group: Small Leaved Rhododendron.
Subsection: Triflora.
Introduction date: pre...
Rhododendron Mulroy Cream
Beautiful rich cream flowers appear in April on a plant with a neat bushy habit reaching a height of 125-150cm in 10 years.This is an unusual and beautiful plant found by good friend John Gault, a Northern Ireland Rhododendron enthusiast, in Lady Leitrim's garden at Mulroy Bay. Nobody has been able to identify it with a registered name, and so we have called it Mulroy Cream in recognition of its provenance;...
Rhododendron oreotrephes 'Pentland' AGM
Wonderful clone with deep mauve flowers with a paler centre in April-May. A very desirable species with beautiful sea-green foliage which is highly recommended. This selection was obtained from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh by Peter Cox and introduced in 1990. R. oreotrephes Pentland has a tidy upright habit. Height 75-100cm in 10 years.
Recommended for wonderful foliage.
Easy to grow.
Ideal...
Rhododendron Pink Gin
Very attractive and unusual apricot-pink tubular bell shaped flowers, freely produced in May. Wonderful blue-green foliage. This was raised at Crosswater Farm by the late Ted Millais to suit colder gardens. Definitely one of our favourites! Height 100-120cm in 10 years.
Recommended for delicate flowers and great foliage.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: most garden situations.
Habit: Upright.
Group:...
Rhododendron Praecox AGM
Early rosy lilac flowers liven up the garden during February - March. A lovely historic plant with dark green shiny leaves and an upright habit. Height 80-100cm in 10 years.Flower buds open well if cut and brought inside for indoor decoration.A tough plant with flowers which can tolerate a few degrees of frost, so it's well worth a place within the garden, but find some shelter for best flowering....
Rhododendron rigidum album
Excellent white flowering form with red spotting that always attracts attention when in flower during April and May. Nicely scented with outstanding glaucous blue foliage. Height 120cm in 10 years.
Recommended for fabulous white scented flower and great foliage.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: sheltered, dappled shade.
Habit: upright.
Group: Small Leaved Rhododendron.
Subsection: Triflora.
Introduction...
Rhododendron trichanthum 'Honey Wood'
This excellent selection has striking deep purple flowers with green mottling, paler in the throat, and reddish purple on the outside. Flowering in June this is a bushy plant with interesting small hairy leaves and stems. This selection was grown by J.B. Stevenson and introduced by A.E. Hardy in 1969. Height 140-160cm in 10 years.
Recommended for lovely late flower to extend the season.
Easy to...
Rhododendron yunnanense 'Snow Shower'
(TRIFLORA H6) A special floriferous selection named by David Millais in 2022, with a mass of large white flowers. The flowers are lily scented, with yellow-orange markings on the upper lobe, and distinctive pink toned stamens. The pure white flowers really do look stunning, both close up and from a distance during April-May. Forms a bushy upright shrub, tolerant of drier and shadier positions. Height...
Rhododendrons oreotrephes F24089
(H5) Beautiful mauve pink wide funnel shaped flowers in April-May. This is a very desirable species with beautiful sea-green foliage and an upright habit. One of our favourites that we would highly recommended. Height 100-125cm in 10 years.
Recommended for wonderful foliage.
Easy to grow.
Ideal position: most garden situations.
Habit: upright.
Group: Small Leaved Rhododendron.
Subsection: Triflora.
Introduction...