Rhododendron 'St Michel' ('Mikkeli')
'Mikkeli' or 'St. Michel' is a Finnish variety combining excellent habit with extreme hardiness. It is a cross between two hardy wild species growing at Arboretum Mustila, the pollen from a Smirnow rhododendron (R. smirnowii) being put on a R. brachycarpum var. tigerstedtii (known as the Mustila Rhododendron) specimen: the variety has inherited the best characteristics of both parents.