Stunning Varieties of Azaleas Offering Vibrant Hues this Springtime
Busting into Blooms: The Many Wonderful Worlds of Azaleas* Garden Delights on a Grand ScaleAzaleas, lively and colorful flowering shrubs, bring a touch of magic to any garden. Azaleas are the petite cousins of the venerable Rhododendron. From the numerous azalea varieties, you'll find evergreens and deciduous types, as well as native and exotic selections, each with unique attributes that make them perfect for your flower garden adventure. Planting azaleas is a breeze, and their vibrant flowers will bring a spectacular pop of color to your outdoor sanctuary.
Many of the evergreen azalea types hail from Asia's deep roots, while most deciduous varieties call North America home. The world of crossbreeding, however, is a vast expanse of exploration, as breeders constantly try to create plants with specific characteristics. For the azalea enthusiast, there's a maze of more than 10,000 named plants to choose from.
Spectacular Karen Azalea
One of the hardiest evergreen varieties is the Karen Azalea, a stunner with beautiful, showy red fall and winter foliage. It shines brightly in your garden.
Blossoming Marvels: Deciduous Azaleas
These types sport flowers bearing five long stamens that protrude past the petals. Deciduous azaleas prefer rich, acidic soil in full sun to partial shade, and an azalea's water requirement means the soil should be slightly moist. These shrubs often feature slightly larger leaves than evergreen azaleas. Most of these North American natives have delightfully scented flowers. They can be found flourishing from Texas all the way up into Maine.
- Inferno Azalea: A fiery spectacle with orange blooms, occasionally boasting white or red hues. This beauty grows up to an impressive 16 feet in height. Inazalea's flowering time is late May to June.
- Fragrance Star Azalea: As the name suggests, the distinctly star-shaped white flowers emit a delightful, sweet scent. This mid-season bloomer reaches 4 feet in height, with bluish-green foliage.
- Red Hills Azalea: Unique flowers that bear a striking resemblance to lilies, with blushed streaks up the center of creamy petals. This is a newly discovered awe-inspiring species that can top out at 20 feet in height. It flowers in May.
- Pink-Shell Azalea: This azalea boasts translucent, pastel pink petals. Native to the Appalachian region, it prefers light shade and nutrient-rich soil. It can mature to an impressive 12 feet in height and sprouts copious soft pink flowers in mid-spring.
- Coral-Leaf Azalea: Although it doesn't produce a scent, the coral-pink flowers set amongst the lush, rounded green leaves make a beautiful sight. This species can reach 20 feet and flowers in early spring.
Enchanting Hybrid Azaleas
Hybrid species are the loving offspring of crosses between Yellow or Honeysuckle Azalea (the only deciduous European species) and deciduous North American species. Those from Europe tend to tolerate less heat and include 'Belgium', 'Mollis', 'Northern Lights', 'Exbury', and 'Knap Hill'. Hybrids suited for hotter locations have also been developed; 'Strickland' and 'Auburn' series are but a few.
- Orange Gold Azalea: A hybrid offering golden flowers with light orange stamens. The plant grows up to 15 feet tall. It blooms in April.
- Lavender Dream Azalea: White flowers with lavender edges on a yellow throat make for a dreamy sight. These bushes can reach 12 feet in height and bloom early in April.
- Peaches and Sunset Azalea: A smaller hybrid, maturing at around 8 feet, with peachy-orange flowers and golden stamens. This azalea blooms in mid-April.
- Julia's Yellows Azalea: This hybrid produces huge yellow flowers with a sweet scent. When it matures, it reaches about 8 feet. The flowering period starts in early spring.
- Princess Azalea: Fragrant white flowers blushed with pink are the crowning glory of this hybrid. It can grow to 10 feet, and blooms in mid-spring.
Evergreen Azaleas: Evergreens that Spread Joy
Evergreen azaleas are particularly welcome additions in winter months, where gardens are often lifeless. Their large leaves bring much-needed color and vitality during winter. Many evergreen hybrids are the result of careful breeding programs aimed at providing bigger, longer-lasting flowers, more vibrant colors, better disease protection, reducing azalea insect problems, and other traits.
- Encore Azaleas: There are many hybrids in this group of large-flowered plants. These bushes bloom in spring and again in the fall, usually featuring a variety of colors like pink, white, coral, red, and lavender. The group includes different sizes of azaleas, such as standard, dwarf, and semi-dwarf shrubs.
- Satsuki Azaleas: Satsuki hybrids are smaller and low-growing, taking around 15 years to reach a mature height of 6 feet. Native colors range from white, pink, yellow, orange, red, and purple. These hybrids often have double petals and bloom late in June.
- Harris Azaleas: Most varieties have pink or red petals with a white center. There are both single and double-petal flowers in this group, with some developing a cascading growth pattern.
- Kurume Azaleas: These azaleas are known for their dense, compact growth. They tend to grow as wide as their height, which averages around 4 feet. Kurume azaleas are available in pinks and whites, either in single, double, or semi-double forms and bloom in the mid-season. They prefer low light areas in the garden.
- Gable Azaleas: Gable azaleas are some of the most cold-hardy azaleas, but they dislike coastal sites. These evergreen bushes can reach heights of 4 feet, both in terms of height and spread. They bloom from April to May, with purple, pink, and white being the predominant colors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which are the most common azaleas?
Are there azaleas that bloom all year round?
How can I tell what kind of azalea I have in my garden?
What type of azalea stays small and compact?
- The world of gardening offers a variety of plants, including home-and-garden favorites like azaleas, which can be found in both the evergreen and deciduous categories.
- For those seeking small, compact azaleas, Satsuki hybrids could be an excellent choice, as they are known for growing slowly and reaching a mature height of around 6 feet after 15 years.
