What an aptly named hottie! You won’t be able to keep your eyes off this plant in mid May when stem ending bunches of plump flower buds burst open to masses of voluminous frilly, bright purplish-red blooms arranged in fat trusses that nearly obscure the plant. This shocking display of color is perfectly set off by lustrous dark green foliage that is tightly packed on stout branches to create a thick, dense, rounded plant. Slower growing and shorter than many large leaf Rhododendron, ‘Hot Dawn’ is well suited to showcasing a small landscape space or being grouped to form an outlandishly colorful border planting. It thrives in a morning sun, afternoon shade location with moist, well drained soil. Be sure to plant it in a spot that is somewhat protected from the most fierce winter wind.