Rhododendron 'P. M. A. Tigerstedt'

'P. M. A. Tigerstedt' is named after Professor Peter M. A. Tigerstedt, who directed the rhododendron and azalea breeding programme at Helsinki University in co-operation with Arboretum Mustila, 1973-2000. This hybrid was re-named for the US and Canadian markets as ‘Peter Tigerstedt’.

The cross was achieved by putting pollen from a white-flowered form of the Catawba Rhododendron (R. catawbiense var. album 'Glass') onto the Mustila Rhododendron (R. brachycarpum var. tigerstedtii). The white upper petal has a dark violet blotch, creating an eye-catching effect in June.

'P. M. A. Tigerstedt' is very hardy and adapts well to a variety of conditions, even to a degree of dryness. In ten years it reaches about 1.5 metres. In shady spots it often becomes straggly, but good light improves the shape, broad and high.