How To Grow Azaleas

An obscure federal law passed in 1803 states that all homeowners where azaleas will grow must plant azaleas. Because Americans by and large obey the law, if you drive down any street in April and May, it's hard to find one house without azaleas. Therefore, Grumpy feels duty-bound to tell you how grow these colorful bushes, so you will not be brought up on charges.

Native Azaleas vs Exotic Azaleas The two main classes of azaleas, both of which belong to the Rhododendron family, are native azaleas (indigenous to many parts of the U.S.) and non-native, exotic azaleas, most of which hail from Japan. How can you tell them apart? Easy. Native azaleas lose their leaves in winter. Exotic azaleas are evergreen.

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Now you might think that native azaleas are easier to grow than plants from far away. Not so. Evergreen azaleas are much less fussy and much tougher than the natives. I have both in my garden, so I know. Because the evergreens are much more popular, however, the rest of this lesson concerns only them.

Kinds of Evergreen Azaleas Almost all evergreen azaleas are hybrids and there are thousands of them. But the vast majority of azaleas people grow fall into one of three classes. Kurume hybrids, like 'Coral Bells,' ' Hinodegiri,' and 'Hershey's Red,' are dense, slow growers with small leaves. They bloom early and profusely in spring, flowers hiding the foliage, and grow to about 4 feet tall and wide. Southern Indian hybrids, like 'George Lindley Taber' and 'Formosa,' are less dense and bloom a little later. They have larger leaves and flowers, grow much faster, and at least get twice as big. Reblooming hybrids, like the Encores, bloom in both spring and fall with their fall blooms being more profuse. Their flowers and leaves are similar in size to those of the Southern Indians, while the bushes themselves grow about as big as Kurumes.

https://www.southernliving.com/garden/grumpy-gardener/how-to-grow-azaleas