Pohjola's Daughter Rhododendron

A compact, dense evergreen shrub reaching 4 feet in 10 years and 5 to 6 feet at maturity. Lightly scented trumpet-shaped flowers open from fuchsia buds to shell pink, then mature to white with a greenish-brown flare on the dorsal lobe. Midseason bloom. A Finnish hybrid of R. smirnowii crossed with R. catawbiense var. album, developed by Peter Tigerstedt and Marjatta Uosukainen at the University of Helsinki. Named for Jean Sibelius's tone poem from the Kalevala.

Exceptional cold hardiness to approximately -40°F (Zone 3a-7b) places this among the hardiest large-flowered elepidote rhododendrons in commerce. The three-tone flower display, from fuchsia bud to shell pink to white, produces a continuous color shift through the bloom period. Light fragrance is uncommon among elepidote rhododendrons. Smirnowii parentage contributes a dense compact habit and tolerance of difficult sites. Full sun to part shade on acidic, well-drained soil (pH 4.5-6.0). Twenty-one diseases and 15 pests documented at the genus level. All parts contain grayanotoxins and are toxic if ingested.