In the wild species of dwarf Rhododendron cover huge areas of moorland and mountainside in western China and the Himalaya. In the garden we make do with a few plants, but their range of colour (mainly pinks and purples, but including white, yellow and red) and their reliable flower power make them invaluable for sites that are not too dry or (with some exceptions) too alkaline.

Rhododendron 'Cilpinense' is one of the earliest to flower in the spring, with blush pink flowers contrasting with the shiny foliage, lined with short hairs. It is hardy (much more so than one of its parents), but, as with all early-flowering rhododendrons, and magnolias, a frosty night can turn the flowers to brown mush. Just wait for another year! - it rarely happens two years in a row, and hardly at all these days.