The Crete Rhododendron, otherwise known as the Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ or Rose ‘Golden Beauty’, Rose ‘Korberbeni’, Rosa ‘Korberbeni’, Floribunda rose ‘Golden Beauty’, Rosa ‘South Africa’, Shrub Roses, Floribunda Roses, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its average maintenance and moderate growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its dark green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this Crete Rhododendron Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
In order to take proper care of your Crete Rhododendron you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Crete Rhododendron needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
- Light: Keep your Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ in an environment where it can receive partial sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Crete Rhododendron in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Crete Rhododendron is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Crete Rhododendron belongs to the Rosaceae family, and the genus Rosa, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’.
Other popular Rosaceae plants include species like Rosa ‘Golden Showers’, Rosa X ‘Joseph’S Coat’, Rosa X ‘New Dawn’, Bridal Wreath Spirea ‘Pink Ice’, Thriller Lady’s Mantle, Everlasting Thorn ‘Kasan’, First Snow Spirea, Fuji Apple, Pink Rugosa Rose, Laurel Cherry, Ozark Premier Japanese Plum, Serviceberry, ‘Brilliantissima’ Chokeberry, Badja Peak Mint Bush, Chocolate Cosmos, Berri-Magic® Japanese Skimmia, Rosa X ‘Radyod’ Plant Patent #14700, Photinia melanocarpa, Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose, Frosty® Potentilla, Forsythia X ‘Courtasol’, Kwanzan Flowering Cherry, Malus X Domestica ‘Red Delicious’, Prunus X ‘Snofozam’, Rosa Banksiae ‘Lutea’, Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’, Callery Pear ‘Bradford’, Gingersnap™ Potentilla, Malus ‘Yellow Delicious’, Wall Spray, Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’, Malus Domestica, Cercis Canadensis Var. Texensis ‘Oklahoma’, Pink Stripe New Zealand Flax, Blenheim Apricot, Prunus Cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’, Prunus Cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’ and Prunus Persica Var. Nucipersica ‘Snow Queen’.
As with other Rosa’s, the Crete Rhododendron is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Crete Rhododendron. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 6 – 9 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Crete Rhododendron is a relatively moderate grower, which makes things somewhat easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, how big does the Crete Rhododendron actually get? What should you expect in terms of size? Let’s dive right in…
The Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ can grow up to 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) and 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm).
These dimensions make the Crete Rhododendron a relatively medium shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful rounded shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 36″ (90cm) free so the Crete Rhododendron can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Crete Rhododendron is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat irregular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Crete Rhododendron in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Crete Rhododendron is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Crete Rhododendron prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Crete Rhododendron requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Crete Rhododendron requires partial sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Crete Rhododendron will be present year round in your garden.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), the summer (early, mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Crete Rhododendron to flower around the spring, summer and the fall months from April to June (spring), from July to September (summer), and from October to December (fall).
In particular, this shrub is well known for its showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Crete Rhododendron produces some beautiful pink, or cream/tan and gold/yellow flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Crete Rhododendron have a beautiful dark green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a compound (pinnately, bipinnately, palmately) arrangement with a opposite organization in its leaves.
The Crete Rhododendron is well known for being able to attract butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Crete Rhododendron will look best in it.
Most Rhododendron Yakushimanum ‘Crete’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most asian/zen gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of cutting garden, city and courtyard, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Crete Rhododendron’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, and in small gardens, others use it for landscaping in a hedge, or a woodland garden.
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy Crete Rhododendron in your garden or home.
