PL ANT OF TH E M ON TH
JIM FUNAI, PhD
Cuyahoga Community College Azalea, Weston’s ‘Millenium’
SHELLEY FUNAI, LIC Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
WESTON HYBRID AZALEAS Azaleas are a group of plants which require no plant nerdery to know and love. Even those who are significantly detached from the outdoors can appreciate their beauty in full bloom. Clients obviously love them, and by our account, plenty of contractors have been obligated to install them. The trouble is, “Azalea” is a broad sweeping term that describes a ton of options, some wonderful, and some doomed to a quick death for being the wrong plant in the wrong place. This month’s Hendricks Experience has Bill leading us to a goldmine of Azaleas for our landscapes. Before we dive into the beauty and utility of the Weston Hybrids, let’s talk a bit more hi-level. First, Azalea is a common name only. These plants all fall under the genus Rhododendron. A general rule of thumb when splitting Rhododendron from Azalea is to look at the stamens in the flowers. If there are five stamens, you have an Azalea. If there are 10, or more, you have a Rhododendron. Within the genus, we divide further in to two major groups – Lepidote and Elepidote (from Greek, lepidōtos, meaning scaly). Lepidote Rhododendrons have small scales on the underside of leaves, which are typically much smaller, while elepidote have no scales on much larger leaves. The latter are likely what you think of when you hear the word Rhododendron.
20 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association
A great example of the scales can be found on Rhododendron ‘P.J.M.,’ which is a hybrid between an Asian species (R. dauricum) and a native (R. minus). The native is a Lepidote Rhododendron species and the trait of scales shows on the ‘P.J.M.’ offspring. The story of the ‘P.J.M.’ Rhododendron is one of a family of plant breeders – from Hopkinton, Massachusetts – who run Weston Nursery. In the 1930s and 40s, Peter J. Mezitt (P.J.M.) and his son, Ed Mezitt, played around with hybridizing native azaleas in order to create better performing plants. One such cross – as mentioned above – resulted in the wildly successful continued on page 22 P.J.M. in 1939.
