Rhodoleia henryi "Cold Hardy Clone"

Rhodoleia henryi "Cold Hardy Clone" is a broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree with green leaves with silvery backside and rose colored flowers in the spring.  Typically Rhodoleia henryi is only hardy to zones 8-9 but this exceptional clone has an interesting history.  Several years ago we were visiting Maarten Vandergiessen at his nursery in southern Alabama only a few weeks after one of their worse cold weather events in many years.  From memory (failing quickly) they had one night of 12 degrees F (-11 C) and most evergreen plants in containers and even in landscapes were badly damaged.  Maarten had received seeds from a fairly cold hardy form of Rhodoleia henryi several years before this and had grown the seedlings, then propagated several of each clone.  He had these clones (maybe 20 clones) in blocks in an unheated, lath house (shaded only - no plastic covering even).  The cold temperatures occurred when these clones where in bud or just starting to flower.  Some of the clones were dead outright, some badly damaged or at best dropped all their buds and flowers - and there was one clone with NO damage!  No leaf burn, no damage to buds or flowers!  WOW!!!!  Thankfully Maaren gave me a couple of plants and we have slowly been building up stock on this amazingly cold hardy plant!  Yes, I do realize than a day or two of really cold weather doesn't imply that this plant will grow in the arctic, but it certainly has performed well here.  Rhodoleai henryi in bloom is one of the most breathtaking blooming trees imaginable - the small tree (large shrub) completely covers itself in large (larger than typical species) deep rose flowers that have an almost florescent appearance.  The foliage on Rhodoleia henryi "Cold  Hardy Clone" is beautiful as well - handsome bluish green leaves with a silvery, nearly white underside.  I'm in the process of planting a small grove of these on both sides of a woodland pathway and am limbing them up so we can walk under them and then look up and the spectacular, pendulous flowers in late winter, early spring.  One of my all time favorite plants!  This fairly fast growing tree/shrub is best in bright shade in woodland areas.  Not sure how it would handle full baking sun.   Excellent as a specimen and STUNNING in mass plantings!  We have not giving this clone an official name yet but we are truly thrilled to finally have a clone we can reliably grow here in our zone 7/8 garden!  Rhodoleia henryi "Cold Hardy Clone" is extremely rare and, to the best of my knowledge, we are the only source for this plant.  Limited availability and sure to sell out very quickly.

• HARDINESS:  zones 7-9b
• EXPOSURE:  part shade
• SIZE: 12-15'+
• SHIPPING SIZE:  1/2 gallon pot.  14-18" plant.