Rhododendron 'Hellikki'

'Hellikki' is an erect rounded rhododendron with beautiful dark foliage and brilliant flowers. It is a freely pollinated descendant of a red-flowered Seidel hybrid, and the leaves indicate the strong influence of Smirnov’s rhododendron (R. smirnowii). New shoots on ‘Hellikki’ are covered with soft white hairs and the leaf undersides by a yellowish-grey felt, also called indumentum. The strongly-coloured purple-red flowers open by mid-June.