Hellikki, Elviira, Raisa and many others

Rhododendron varieties developed in Mustila have been named after both the wife of the President of the Soviet Union and the Tigerstedt family working at the arboretum. The traits of the ‘children’ of the rhododendron species are reflected in the shapes of the leaves and the colors of the flowers.

When the President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev was shown four rhododendron variety candidates from Arboretum Mustila, his choice was a broad, round, low-growing rhododendron with small, bright red flowers.

It was named Raisa after the president’s wife Raisa Gorbacheva. Raisa can be admired not only in Mustila but also in St. Petersburg, where it grows in the park of Raisa Gorbacheva’s hospital.

Other domestic rhododendron varieties include Hellikki, Kullervo, and Pohjolan tytär. As can be noticed, the naming of the plants has been inspired by the Kalevala.

Relatives of lingonberries

Despite their name, rhododendrons are not roses but heath plants. They are relatives of our native forest shrubs, blueberries, and lingonberries.

The oldest rhododendrons in Mustila have thrived in the park for nearly a hundred years. The youngest have only recently started experimental cultivation.

The majority of the rhododendron bushes in the arboretum are hybrids of the hardiest species, where the traits of the parent plants are displayed in different combinations, much like in human children.

Particularly good hybrids have been named as varieties in Mustila. Unlike wild species, varieties are human creations and can only be propagated from cuttings or through micropropagation in a laboratory.

Raisa’s mother, Mustila rhododendron

Raisa’s mother was the Mustila rhododendron (R. brachycarpum var. tigerstedtii) and the pollinator was a low-growing, red-flowered Japanese rhododendron hybrid (R. Brachycarpum) growing in Mustila.

The Mustila rhododendron is a world-famous rhododendron species. It was brought to Mustila in the early 1930s from the Pungsan mountain range in North Korea. Seeds of the ohotan rhododendron were supposed to arrive, but the resulting seedlings turned out to be poorly known large-flowered Korean forms of the Japanese rhododendron.

The rhododendron was renamed after its first cultivation site. As a hardy species, the Mustila rhododendron has been the backbone of Finnish rhododendron breeding. It was the only rhododendron to survive the winter war’s frosts completely unscathed.

Tigerstedt varieties

The variety P. M. A. Tigerstedt is named after Professor Peter M. A. Tigerstedt. He led the breeding program for rhododendrons and azaleas at the University of Helsinki from 1973 to 2000. In the USA and Canada, the variety is known as Peter Tigerstedt.

Axel Tigerstedt is a white-flowered, medium-height rhododendron variety. It is named after the grandson of Arboretum Mustila’s founder, Axel Tigerstedt (1930–2010). The pale pink buds of Axel Tigerstedt open into a delicate light pink bloom in early June, but the flower color quickly changes to pure white.

And Mustila has other rhododendron ‘children’ like Elviira, Marketta, Mikkeli, and Unelma. And Haaga, Pekka, and Mauritz. Many of the names refer to the close circle of researcher Marjatta Uosukainen, who has done extensive work in rhododendron breeding.