Plant Profile: PGM Rhododendron

PGM Rhododendren, Seattle, WA LDS Temple

The PGM Rhododendron is an early flowering, compact, broadleaf evergreen shrub.  I love this plant for its loud profusion of lavender flowers and fragrant scent. To me it smells like some sort of a bubble gum from my childhood.

It likes slightly acidic, organically rich soil which is moist, but not too wet and does well in the shade. 

The PGM is one of the earliest flowering not only Rhody's but spring shrub. It explodes with brilliance in April and, in the Puget Sound, vigorously beckons in spring earlier than spring wants to be beckoned.

Design uses could be as a broadleaf evergreen screen for year round green or as a spring focal point. I recommend planting the PGM in close enough proximity to patios and walkways where the flowers and fragrance can be enjoyed up close and personal. This little guy can certainly stand alone, but if so repeat it in several other places throughout the yard for balance and repetition. In the right area it could also be used as an informal, loose hedge as is done on the grounds of the Seattle LDS Temple in Bellevue, WA. There it is used to create a ring hedge around a circle of lawn resulting in a perfect outdoor room.