P.J.M. Rhododendron

An upright, dense, rounded lepidote evergreen shrub reaching 4 feet in 10 years and 3 to 6 feet at maturity. Small, openly funnel-shaped flowers with wavy edges, 1¾ inches wide, lilac-purple to light violet, in clusters of 6 to 9 blooms. One of the earliest-blooming garden rhododendrons, flowering concurrent with forsythia. Small leathery leaves turn deep mahogany-purple from November through April. A hybrid of R. minus var. minus Carolinianum Group crossed with R. dauricum Sempervirens Group, bred by Edmund Mezitt at Weston Nurseries in 1943 (ARS #874). OSU rates flower quality 4, plant and foliage 4, and performance 4 on a 1-5 scale.

Extreme cold hardiness to -25°F (Zone 4a-8b) combined with heat and sun tolerance is an uncommon combination among rhododendrons. The lepidote foliage tolerates higher light and a wider range of soil conditions, including heavier and drier soils, than typical elepidote hybrids. Mahogany-purple winter foliage provides year-round visual interest well beyond the bloom window. Several clones circulate under the same name (Elite, Compacta, Regal, Victor) with slight variation in flower color and winter-foliage intensity. Full sun to part shade on acidic, well-drained soil (pH 4.5-6.5). Twenty-one diseases and 15 pests documented at the genus level. All parts contain grayanotoxins and are toxic if ingested.