Rhododendron Dufthecke Lilac INKARHO

Available on the Inkarho rootstock! Lilac purple in bud, opening to lilac but will fade paler. Flowering in April-May. It has fragrant flowers on a plant of neat compact growth with attractive shiney leaves. Height 125-150cm in 10 years. This one is ideal for hedging and screening. The German translation of Dufthecke is fragrant hedge!
Plant with plenty of good ericaceous compost to aid establishment.

• Recommended for: Hedging/screening and fragrance.
• Easy to grow.
• Ideal position: Most garden situations.
• Habit: Dense.
• Group: Hybrid Rhododendron.
• Parentage: fortunei (s) X 'Cunningham's White' (Registered as Rhodunter 149). This is the registered parentage, but it does seem unlikely that such pale parents could make such a lilac flower!
• Hybridization date: pre 2000 (1980).
• Bred by: W. Preil & R. Ebbinghaus. Origin: German.
• Tolerant of neutral soil.
• Ideal soil: pH 4 to 7.5.
• RHS Hardiness Rating: H7.
• How we propagate this plant: Graft.

Customer Reviews

By Martyn May on 17th March 2025

"Very healthy looking plants arrived well packaged. Delivery was absolutely on schedule. Very happy with the service from Millais Nurseries "

By Adrian on 12th October 2024

"Plant arrived in superb condition,looking forward to seeing it in full colour next year!"

By Laura on 19th June 2024

"Stunning plant! Well packaged, I was so impressed with the fantastic quality of the plant that I made another order from the company on the same evening that this plant arrived. Will definitely be back "

By Jim treby on 7th February 2024

"Good quality plants"

By Sandra on 27th July 2022

"Good size and quality. Item as specified on website. Value for money. Plant root ball good size and plant not pot bound"

By GRichards on 13th March 2022

"Excellent quality, as usual."

By John Lester on 29th September 2021

"Excellent service and plant as usual from Millais"

By Brenda Evans on 18th June 2021

"Beautiful plant and well packed."

By caroline on 17th May 2021

"Brilliant"

By ANNETAYLOR on 10th May 2021

"The plant arrived promptly and the packaging was excellent. The size of plant is good (12 L pot, height about 50 cm and widest part about 75 cm) and it has plenty of buds. Although the plant is named Lilac by the producer, the buds are shocking pink, opening paler. Apparently, the colour may vary from year to year depending on the weather. We are really pleased with it and strongly recommend."

By MrsFlorenceStraughan on 25th January 2021

"The plants arrived quickly and were excellently packaged. They are strong shrubs, full of buds and appear to have taken well to being planted, despite the very cold, wet and, now, snowy weather. A couple of buds just starting to open - can't wait for what promise to be beautiful, floriferous and highly scented flowers to line my woodland pathway. I recommend this plant supplier highly."

By Helena Gerrish on 10th March 2020

"All the rhododendrons I have received from Millais Nurseries have been first class plants, really well packed, excellent delivery service and have done extremely well in my garden and woodland garden. I would not buy them from anyone else, and would recommend them to anyone wanting to establish a rhododendron garden."

By karen Clarke on 1st January 2020

"Excellent quality plant really please with it, thank you, prompt delivery"

By Jeffrey Reynolds on 1st April 2019

"Prompt delivery. Good size sturdy plant with plenty of buds."

By Beatrice Claire Potter on 26th January 2019

"A beautiful plant arrived in excellent condition. I have temporarily put it in a slightly bigger pot using your compost. It will be put out in my garden and I hope that it will thrive here as ordinary rhododendrons do not due to the clay sub-soil."

By Trevor Fossey on 30th November 2018

"Great specimen plant. Great service. Thanks"

By T.FOSSEY on 6th November 2018

"Just received my order and what a wonderful plant ! Well packed and shipped promptly. A great specimen, a good size and a very healthy plant. Can't wait to put it in the garden, following your instructions of course."

Good to know

These are the plants which we have featured in our recent RHS Chelsea Flower Show exhibits, with extensive reporting on the BBC Chelsea TV programme. Interest from new customers around the country has been exceptional, and gardeners have been delighted to learn that they can now grow their favourite plants on most garden soils.

The revolutionary new ‘Inkarho’ lime tolerant rootstock is particularly recommended for growing rhododendrons on neutral clay soils, up to pH7. This patented rootstock was developed from a rhododendron growing in a German lime quarry, and has been the subject of an extensive 20 year breeding and testing programme. They are grown under licence in Germany, and are some of the few plants that we have to buy in. Choice tall hybrids and compact yakushimanum varieties are grafted on the rootstock enabling them to be grown in a much wider range of soil types than ever before. They are hungry plants and require more feeding than other Rhododendrons to keep their foliage a healthy dark green. We recommend our own recipe Millais Nurseries Slow Release Fertilizer and plenty of good Ericaceous compost for best performance. Failures are rare, but occur when there is insufficient soil preparation, and insufficient feed. Without feed, the plants will start to wither and the foliage will go yellow.

The varieties selected are all tough and will flower from a young age. For a guide to plant spacing, use the height we give in 10 years as a guide to the distance between each plant. Plant no deeper than the top of the rootball, and dig in plenty of good ericaceous compost around the sides. Feed at the rate of a teaspoon of ericaceous slow release fertilizer per plant at the 4 litre size, rising to a tablespoon per plant for a 12 litre plant, and a small handful for a more mature specimen.  For growing in pots, please select the lower growing yakushimanum hybrids, and use good Ericaceous compost 

Please note: Some varieties are wider than their height, especially yakushimanum hybrids. Specimen size plants (eg 80-90cm) will be measured by their largest measurement which could be the spread of the plant.


For further advice, For further advice, see here

Size Guide

The Basics

Ideal soil

Acidic soil, good organic content, pH 4.5-6.0. Inkarho range of rhododendrons will tolerate soils up to pH7.5

Sun or Shade

Light dappled shade is best for most varieties.

Shelter

Refer to hardiness rating. Give young plants protection.

Site Selection

Avoid close to trees, roots, invasive weeds, walls, hot patios, dry banks and waterlogged soils. Do not use weed matting or stone mulch.

Plant spacing

Use the height shown in 10 years as a guide to the distance between each plant. Allow room for plant to fill out. If planting closer for instant impact, be prepared to move plants after a few years.

Compost

• 3 litre pot, dig in 10-20 litres of ericaceous compost.
• 7.5 litre pot, dig in 20-30 litres of ericaceous compost.
• 70-80cm specimen, dig in 60 litres of ericaceous compost.
• 100-120cm specimen, dig in 120 litres of ericaceous compost.

Planting depth

Plant high in the ground, with the top of the rootball visible.

Feeding

Slow-release ericaceous feed recommended in March and straight after flowering.

Mulch

Recommended every few years.

Water

The key ingredient! Keep moist all season, especially the critical time at end of June for flower bud initiation. Tap water is better than no water. Heavy dose at least once per week in dry weather.

Drainage

Ensure good drainage in winter, especially with yellow flowering varieties. Avoid waterlogged sites.

Pruning

Rhododendrons and Camellias: Not normally required. Tidy wayward shoots after flowering.

Evergreen azaleas and Bloombux can be clipped into a low hedge.

Magnolias and Acers: Formative pruning when young to shape into a tree or bush.

Deadheading

Remove old flower-heads, particularly on young or weak plants.

For further advice see here

Delivery & Returns

Our website calculates the delivery charge according to weight and delivery location throughout the UK. To see these charges, please enter your postcode at the checkout, and you will see the charge vary as you add more items to your wheelbarrow.

Please see here for delivery information

Please see here for cancellation and return information