Rhododendron 'Pohjola's Daughter'

Rhododendron 'Pohjola's Daughter' (Rhododendron 'Pohjola's Daughter') greets May with large, dense trusses in which the flowers open pink and slowly fade almost to white, keeping a brown flare on the upper lobe. The petals are broadly funnel-shaped and deeply cut, which gives each truss a lacy look.

It is an evergreen shrub for dappled shade under trees, for heather plantings and for groups near the house. At 10 years it stands about 1.2 m and forms a dense cushion; unlike Japanese azaleas it has large leathery foliage and takes -32 °C, so the buds come through even a severe winter.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The name points to Pohjola, the harsh northern land of the Finnish epic Kalevala, and the plant's character is just as northern.
• Dimensions: At 10 years the shrub stands 1.2 m tall.
• Hardiness: Its hardiness really is phenomenal: it withstands down to -32 °C (USDA zone 4b).
• Flowering: In May-June pink flowers with brown spotting open and gradually fade to white.
• Light: It is most at ease in part shade or dappled shade - in full sun the foliage suffers during heat.
• Soil: It needs acid, light sandy or humus-rich soil with good drainage - it will not tolerate water standing at the roots.
• Watering: Water evenly: the roots are shallow, so drying out and waterlogging harm them alike.
• Care: Mulch with bark or pine needles, never loosen the soil around the base, and cut out the spent flower heads - the shrub will repay you.
• Landscape use: Handsome in groups in part shade, in a heather garden, along a woodland edge under trees and in an informal hedge.
• Origin: Bred in the Finnish rhododendron programme by Uosukainen from a cross of 'Cunningham's White' with R. smirnowii.