A low evergreen shrub in the heather family, usually under 50 cm tall, grown mainly as a cold-hardy native for cool, moist, peaty sites. The key is cool roots and steady moisture.
Family
Ericaceae (Heather family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist and never let it dry out.
Soil
Acidic, peaty or humus-rich soil with good moisture retention.
Temperature
Hardy to very cold winters; keep cool in summer, avoid hot dry conditions.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain grayanotoxins and related compounds that can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness and, in larger amounts, serious heart and nervous system effects.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Subarctic and Subalpine to Canada
Climate
temperate
About
Rhododendron tomentosum (syn. Ledum palustre), commonly known as marsh Labrador tea, northern Labrador tea, marsh rosemary or wild rosemary, is a flowering plant in the subsection Ledum of the large genus Rhododendron in the family Ericaceae.
Where it grows
It grows in northern latitudes in North America, Greenland, Canada, and Alaska, in Europe in the northern and central parts, and in Asia south to northern China, Korea and Japan. It grows in peaty soils, shrubby areas, moss and lichen tundra.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhododendron tomentosum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.