Rhododendron groenlandicum Helma

Ledum groenlandicum 'Helma' is a variety of Labrador Tea selected for its abundant flowering. This evergreen subshrub, related to rhododendrons, is a beautiful improvement on this medicinal and aromatic plant well-known among the Eskimos and Native American peoples, and also known as Greenland Ledum. It is appreciated for its beautiful and abundant white and fragrant spring flowering of very full corymbs, and more numerous than in the type species. In the garden this cold climate plant will thrive in acidic soil, preferably moist to damp, in a partially shaded site, for example in coniferous undergrowth.

The Greenland Ledum belongs to the Ericaceae family, like heathers, azaleas and blueberries. It has now been renamed Rhododendron groenlandicum Helma. The wild species from which it is derived is native to a large geographical area in the north of the American continent, from Greenland to Alaska, and is also present in most of the Canadian territory. It is a small bush fond of acidic soils like heather, turf bogs and the humus of coniferous undergrowth, always more or less moist to damp. It can also be found on shaded rocky slopes.

The 'Helma' variety, very floriferous, slowly forms a low and rounded bush with an erect habit, generally not exceeding 80 cm (31 in) in height or 1 m (3 ft) in width. In good growing conditions it can reach 1.50 m (5 ft) in all directions. The foliage, evergreen, is composed of small alternate, single, elliptical to elongated leaves, fairly tough, whose edge is curled towards the underside. The lamina is quite dark and shiny green on top, the underside being covered with a thick down of pale green on the young leaves, turning rust on the mature leaves. These leaves, practically non-decomposable, contain a precious essential oil much used in modern aromatherapy when they are young, whose virtues were already known to the first inhabitants of the northern United States. Flowering takes place in spring, usually in May, in the form of numerous terminal almost spherical umbels, 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) in diameter, composed of small white flowers 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) in diameter with slightly prominent stamens. 

An ornamental and medicinal plant, Labrador Tea 'Helma' will enjoy moist and shaded ericaceous beds, along with evergreen azaleas, Leucothoe and camellias. It will settle into a border under large conifers or on the edge of an evergreen grove, provided that the soil is always moist. If you have a water feature with sandy and peaty banks, Rhododendron groenlandicum Helma will thrive there without asking for much maintenance, together with Acorus, horsetail, carex, Iris kaempferi ensata or louisiana.

Properties:

The essential oil of Greenland Ledum has antibiotic, decongestive, antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic (and potentially anti-tumor according to recent studies) properties. The native peoples of the northern United States smoked its leaves like tobacco and made a tea with its leaves, just like the first settlers who used it as a substitute for tea.