Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron (although notably different from traditional Rhododendrons) that include various deciduous and evergreen varieties. Much like Gardenias, Azaleas are a quintessential southern beauty. If you happen to be driving through the sweet-tea-sippin’ South at the right time of the year, chances are you’ll be graced by a scene of scores and scores of stunning blooms in white, orange, yellow, pink, red, and purple. There’s really nothing like it.
PlantsbyMail.com is proud to offer numerous different selections ranging from reliable classics to charming brand new varieties!
There are numerous great answers to this question. Here are a few reasons.
There’s one for every landscape! Some get 8-10 feet tall and some max out at only 2.5 feet tall. For this reason, they’re great at solving landscaping problems where you’re not sure what to plant. There are fast-growing selections to fill in an empty spot quickly, and there are slow-growing dwarf varieties that rarely need maintenance.
Whether they bloom once a year or multiple times a year, they’re sure to provide you with a bounty of gorgeous flowers. Most varieties will be nearly completely covered in flowers during their bloom period. Hummingbirds and butterflies also enjoy these flowers and are sure to visit them regularly.
We guarantee that every gardener will be able to find an Azalea bloom that they love. Some blooms are large and some are small, some are single-form and others are double, some are a single hue while others are multi-colored. Just spend a little time looking and we trust you’ll find several that you can’t get enough of.
Our stock can be separated into three main groups.
Most of our classic selections will bloom once or twice every year. They’re tried and true favorites that won’t let you down. They’re evergreen and come in nearly all sizes.
Encore Azaleas rebloom up to 3 times per year! They range from intermediate to dwarf in size and come in almost every color known to this breed. For a true-red beauty, check out the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea. It’s a stunner!
Deciduous, native types are where you’re going to find your boldest yellow and orange hues. These flowers appear once a year in Spring. They’re also lightly fragrant, while blooms from evergreen types are not. These varieties lose all of their leaves in winter and return with new growth and blooms in spring.
The ideal time to plant these bloomers is generally in spring or fall. However, that will depend on where you live. Some warmer climates can plant nearly all year long.
We recommend planting them two months before the average expected first freeze date in your area. However, you can be successful in planting them even just one month before your first frost. This is because the ground stays warmer than the air for up to a month in winter. But in this case, you’ll need to provide some kind of coverage over the plant, such as a freeze cloth or tarp for the first couple of freezes and for extended hard freezes.
This will depend largely on what sort of planting conditions you’re dealing with. Dwarf varieties are perfect for foundation plantings around your home and in mixed garden beds. While larger varieties are ideal for house-corners and hedges.
Most types struggle in all-day heavy Shade. They tend to grow poorly and won’t bloom well, if at all. However, many will do well with just an hour or two of direct sun, or all-day filtered sun. These tend to be classic selections and/or varieties with a single bloom cycle, such as the Pride of Mobile Azalea.
Areas with 3-5 hours of direct sun can be classified as Partial-Sun. Most Azaleas grow well in these conditions.
Many varieties will struggle in all-day Full-Sun, however, Encores will grow in Full Sun in most USDA Zones! In this setting, they tend to get more seasonal foliage stress, but they also bloom like crazy thanks to the additional rays.
Deciduous types also do well in Full Sun.
