Boursault Catawba Rhododendron

Big trusses of lavender-purple bloom every spring, on one of the toughest, most cold-hardy rhododendrons you can plant.

The Boursault Catawba Rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense 'Boursault') is a broadleaf evergreen prized for its dependable spring show: rounded, full clusters of funnel-shaped flowers in a rich lilac-to-lavender purple, each truss lifted above glossy, deep-green leaves that hold their color through winter. It matures into a substantial, well-rounded shrub of 6 to 10 feet, giving you year-round structure and a burst of cool-toned color just as the garden wakes up. With its mountain-laurel parentage, this is a classic landscape rhododendron that earns its place as a foundation anchor, an evergreen screen, or the backbone of a shaded border.

Why growers choose the Boursault

• Cold-hardy backbone. Bred from the rugged Catawba rhododendron, it thrives in USDA zones 4 through 8 and shrugs off winters that defeat more tender broadleaf evergreens.
• Generous spring bloom. Large, dome-shaped trusses of lavender-purple flowers cover the plant in spring, each cluster packed with many individual blossoms.
• Year-round green. Thick, leathery evergreen foliage holds through every season, so the shrub never goes bare and keeps screening and structure intact in winter.
• Substantial, mounded form. A moderate grower that fills in to 6 to 10 feet wide, ideal where you want presence and privacy without constant pruning.
• Pollinator draw. The spring trusses are a welcome early nectar source for bees and visiting hummingbirds.

Site it along a shaded foundation, group several as an informal evergreen hedge or woodland screen, or set it as the structural centerpiece of a part-shade border underplanted with ferns, hostas, and other acid-loving companions like azaleas and pieris.