Plants of ‘PJM’ rhododendron gracing the entrance of a home. David Zlesak
Flowers and foliage of ‘PJM’ rhododendron are richly colored. David Zlesak
'Olga Mezitt' Rhododendron. John Eustice History of ‘PJM’
The name comes from the initials of Peter J. Mezitt, founder of Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts. ‘PJM’ is a cross between two rhododendron species- Rhododendron carolinianum and R. dauricum. In 1939, Peter Mezitt heard of some particularly beautiful specimens of R. dauricum in the mountains of China from some visiting missionaries. He arranged to receive some seedlings and among them was a particularly nice plant that was more faithfully evergreen than the others. Peter’s son Edmund worked at the nursery with his father. Using a camel’s hair brush, Edmund put pollen of the select R. dauricum seedling onto R. carolinianum (this was the first cross Edmund ever made). The seedlings were planted out and a few years later, in May of 1945, Peter and Edmund noticed their spectacular blooms, even as young plants. They knew from the beginning that these plants were very special because of their vigor, compact habit, attractive foliage, and beautiful floral display.
Multiple forms of ‘PJM’ Rhododendron exist
Since seedlings are relatively uniform from this cross, what is sold as ‘PJM’ is sometimes derived from recreating the original cross and raising seed. However, some variability exists among the seedlings for flower and foliage color, growth rate, and plant habit. Selections with unique features have been made and are clonally propagated. Some of the clonal selections include ‘Elite’ (little bit later flowering and more upright than typical ‘PJM’), ‘Victor’ (earlier flowering, more compact, and less vigorous than typical ‘PJM’), and ‘Regal’ (vigorous selection with a spreading habit).
Two other hardy cultivars of note from Weston Nurseries include ‘Olga Mezitt’ (sometimes called just ‘Olga’) and ‘Aglo’. They are similar in growth habit and hardiness to ‘PJM’, but the flower color is more pink. Both are named after Peter Mezitt’s wife, Olga. Both share the same species parents, but differ in the direction of the cross (which species served as the female and which as the male). Just as the cross is reversed to produce each cultivar, so is their cultivar name - ‘Aglo’ is Olga’s name spelled backwards.
*This article was reposted from the University of Minnesota Extension 'Yard and Garden News' 05/15/2008
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