Nova Zembla Rhododendron Plant Care

For an iron-clad evergreen shrub to use in foundation plantings, the Rhododendron Nova Zembla is what you need. As space plants, they fill gaps in the garden and are easy to grow in warm to cold climates. The evergreen shrub displays flowers in a bright red color with dark spots that fade to deep pink in direct sunlight.

It also has an upright growth reaching 8 feet tall.

Plant Name: Rhododendron Nova Zembla

Other Name: Nova Zembla Rhododendron, Evergreen Rhododendron or Midseason Rhododdendron

Plant Type: Broadleaf Evergreen Shrub

Native Areas: Hybrid

Light Requirement: Full sun to partial shade

Watering: Medium

Fertilizer: One for acid-loving plants

Toxicity: Toxic to animals

Temperature: down to -30°F

Propagation: Semi-hardwood cuttings

Growth: 5-8 feet tall and 5-6 feet wide

Soil Type: Sandy loam to clay soil

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8

More About Nova Zembla Rhododendron

The Rhododendron Nova Zembla are hybridized trees introduced in 1902 by Koster & Sons of Boskoop, Holland. The cultivar is a cross between the Rhododendron ‘Parsons Grandiflorum’ with an unnamed red hybrid.

The term Nova Zembla means New Land referring to an island found on the northern coast of Russia. The evergreen foliage provides color throughout the year. In early spring, you see the beautiful flower color of red with spots fading to deep pink.

The shrub looks stunning in foundation plantings with dark green leaves. You can grow the trees in the ground as a hedge or in a container suitable for the root ball size.

The flowering tree reaches 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, making it ideal for growing underneath power lines. Some other common names are Evergreen Rhododendrons or Midseason Rhododendrons.

Nova Zembla Rhododendron Care Guide

To add drama to your landscape, the Rhodendron Nova Zembla will do the trick. The tree will fatten outwards to grow into a large mound with dark green leaves. Mid-spring, you see the flowering in a dramatic red that attracts butterflies and bees to the garden. It is a low-maintenance evergreen shrub that attracts different wildlife when planted.

Suitable Soil For Your Evergreen Shrub in Foundation Plantings

For the Rhododendron Nova Zembla, well-drained soils are a must. Also, when planting your tree in the chosen spot, remember that this tree grows shallow roots. Hence, digging a hole at the same soil line as in the pot you received your plant is essential.

The evergreen shrub thrives in slightly acidic to neutral soil. If you have alkaline soils, it helps to amend them with sulfur or iron sulfate—too many alkaline results in the yellowing of the evergreen foliage.

Alternatively, you can grow your trees in pots if you do not have acid soil. Also, add a layer of mulch to help retain soil moisture for the root system.

Prevent Partial Shade For The Dark Green Leaves

While this Rhododendron is hardy and prefers well-drained acid soil tolerating partial shade, they prefer full sun or high open shade. Hence, it helps to find an ideal spot with direct sun in the morning and avoid the direct afternoon sun.

In the northern summers, the Nova Zembla can tolerate the morning sun, while in areas like St. Louis, the afternoon sun can scorch the greenery. Also, plant your shrub protected from strong winds.

Neither places them in the drip line of pecans, butternut, walnuts, or hickories, as it will poison your plant.

Watering Evergreen Rhododendron

As important as providing your evergreen shrub with good soil drainage, it also needs enough water during summer. Unfortunately, while these outdoor plants need soil moisture, they do not enjoy wet feet or poorly aerated soils.

During the growing season, your tree will benefit from organic compost around the root ball to keep it cool and moist. While in the fall, you need not water often. So water deeply in spring to summer, allowing the soil to dry between watering.

Also, ensure the soil is moist before the cold weather sets in. After planting your shrub, it will need more watering during the first growing season.

Temperature and Humidity

The Nova Zembla are hardy, drought and cold-tolerant plants down to -30°F. Still, we recommend providing them protection from winter winds when still young. These shrubs also go dormant during the winter period. You may find winter damage to the vegetation occurs.

Fertilizing Nova Zembla Rhododendron

The best is to avoid excessive use of alkaline fertilizers around your Rhododendron plants. Instead, you can apply a nitrogen fertilizer or a balanced one after flowering in spring. Alternatively, you can apply fertilizer for acid-loving plants before adding mulch around the root zone in early spring.

But never fertilizer in late summer as it will produce new growth that the cold can kill.

Pruning Rhododendron Nova Zembla

The Rhododendron Nova Zembla needs minimal pruning. You can remove dead to injured branches but prune after flowering to allow next year’s buds to bloom again.

You can remove spent flowers annually. Then, you can pinch out new growth to improve the plant’s form.

But do not pinch them out in the fall, as it will not allow new bud development in the next growing season.

Potting Rhododendron Nova Zembla

If you decide to grow your Rhododendron Nova Zembla in a container, the same rule applies as growing them in the ground. First, please provide them with well-drained soil made up of organic matter. Then, add peat moss with leaf mold and other organic matter to the mix.

Ensure you provide a hole not twice the size of the root ball and keep it at the same soil line as the container received. Then provide it with partial sun with some afternoon shade. If your shrub starts to outgrow the container, you can transplant it to the garden in the fall or spring.

Propagating Rhododendron Nova Zembla

The best way to propagate your Rhododendron Nova Zembla is by air layering or using stem cuttings. These shrubs can self-propagate as they send up shoots from the root ball. Sometimes, the branches droop to the ground, and they will root in damp mulch.

You can then cut off the rooted plant from the parent plant to plant in another spot or container. To use cuttings, you can take them anytime in the growing season. Ensure the cuttings are four inches long and the lower leaves removed before planting them.

Rhododendron Varieties

You can find different varieties of Rhododendrons to grow in the garden, and you can find some of our favorites here:

April Rose

It is a tough plant with a cold hardy form and purple flowers that emerge in spring. The reddish-purple flowers reach up to two inches in diameter and grow on the tips of the branches. It also has a nice fragrance with dark green foliage. The foliage turns red to bronze in autumn.

Black Satin

These indoor plants have a dwarf form with pinkish purple blooms with a coral throat. The leaf is a deep purple hue, with the new shoots green, darkening as it ages. The shrub has no significant fall color.

Cherry Cheesecake

It is a bright and cheery plant but blooms in late spring with flowering that you can admire for hours. The flower is white with edges of pink and splotches of deep red to burgundy. The leaves had a deep green shade.

Nova Zembla Rhododendron Common Diseases and Pests

The shrub is susceptible to different pests and diseases. Insects that can bother your trees are aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, borers, nematodes, mealybugs, thrips, scale, and whitefly. Diseases to look out for include blight, crown rot, canker, root rot, leaf spot, powdery mildew, and leaf gall.