One tried and true shrub for our local gardens are Azaleas - spring flowering beauties that can be utilized in many locations the landscape. These plants are brothers and sisters to Rhododendrons, offering us spectacular flowers on smaller growing plants that thrive in similar conditions. There are hundreds of options out there, including many old fashioned favorites and some excellent newer, modern choices as well.
The golfing half of my “Golfing Gardener” persona is excited to highlight Azaleas this week, in honor of the Masters Golf Tournament - a tradition like no other. The hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club hosts the Masters, making next week a special time of the year for us golf geeks - not just for the golf competition, but in all honesty for the plants too. The property that Augusta National lies on was a fabulous nursery in its previous life and the members have allowed this place to flourish, over almost a century, into what I would call an Arboretum with a golf course that runs through it. There are holes named for plants like “Camellia”, “Nandina”, “Pink Dogwood”, “Redbud” and of course “Azalea”, one of the best on the course - the treacherous 13th hole with a par 5, which literally has over 1,000 Azalea specimens adorning it! I would encourage all to tune into the Masters next week for a bit, perhaps not only for the golf, but to enjoy the unbelievable vistas of plants on the property. In April, the Azaleas are always in bloom, not only at the Masters but in our PNW landscapes too for us to enjoy.
There are a vast array of Azaleas, in which you can pick your flower color and show your style - from white to pink to red to purple to salmon orange and all shades in between, for evergreen varieties. If you desire to go bold, we can find Deciduous Azaleas in true orange and yellow options, many with the added bonus of fragrance. (We will talk Deciduous Azaleas in another column soon, I promise.) Gardeners can select single blooms, semi-double blooms, and mix flavors for blooming color from early spring into early summer. To me, planting one is never enough as these make lovely choices to plant in groups of three, larger swathes, or along borders in mass. All Azaleas enjoy our typical acidic soils and will thrive in any woodland garden with partial sun and shade, however, many will take full afternoon sun as well.
Remember, a well-fed plant is a happy one, and Azaleas are no different. Utilizing an organic acidic-type fertilizer is ideal and applying it around the drip-line of these shrubs, once in February/March and once more in later May/June, works perfectly. Adding some mulch around the base will help as well, being careful not to bury the crown or lower branches. These are by no means drought tolerant, so the mulch will help reduce watering needs, but be sure to monitor them in our drier summer months to ensure continued happy plants with maximum bud set for the next spring.
As far as pruning goes, let’s try to make this easy… With both Evergreen and Deciduous Azaleas, follow my simple rule of “prune after bloom”. This of course does not mean you have to prune them every year, but doing it right after flowering is ideal since a fresh flush of foliage will emerge and they will set their flower buds on branch tips over the summer, maximizing bloom the next spring. It is easy to shear back Evergreen Azaleas if you want a denser, more compact specimen with maximum bloom, but there is nothing wrong with letting them get a little taller with a more open habit. I shear some of my Azaleas that are planted close to borders, but leave others to grow tall as background plants. Either way, you’ll have attractive sturdy shrubs.
When looking to add some new Azaleas to your landscape it is important to note your sun/shade situation, your desired bloom time, your color preference, and how much height/spread your chosen spot can handle. There are many good varieties to choose from, but here are some of my personal favorites…
Oldies but Goodies: Evergreen varieties like ‘Hino Crimson’ (still sets the standard for bright red color in early spring and will take some heat), ‘Girard’s Fuchsia’ (large fuchsia purple flowers, taller growth and lovely burgundy foliage in winter months), ‘Coral Bells’ (striking semi-double coral pink blooms better for part shade), ‘Silver Sword’ (sweet variegated silver/green foliage and large dark rose pink flower), or ‘Everest’ (a later blooming large white bloomer for morning sun).
Double Shot Azalea Series: There a few colors in this newer series like ‘Grape’ and ‘Watermelon’, but these actually are a hardier option than others I see around our area for reliable flowers twice year, both in spring and fall. A little taller growers with age, but can be pruned after spring flowering to control size - avoid pruning them in fall after fall bloom.
Satsuki Type Azaleas: These late-spring bloomers offer HUGE flowers in shades of mainly white, pink and salmon, with often one plant having multiple colors, or even individual flowers on same plant having multiple colors - very different indeed. Seek out ones like ‘Eikan’, ‘Getsutoku’, and ‘Higasa’, all great choices for part shade and usually available at your garden center in later spring.
Kimono Azalea Series: Excellent newer flavors like ‘Maraschino’, ‘May Snow’ and ‘Canzonetta’ bloom heavily and stay very tidy and compact in shape. They bloom mid to late spring, and some varieties offer wonderful winter foliage color as well. Excellent for lower border plantings in mostly sun, except ‘May Snow’ will prefer a little shade in the afternoons.
Spring is the perfect season to gaze upon the beauty of Azaleas as you travel about, and certainly an ideal time to view them in bloom in local garden centers. With so many to choose from, be sure to speak with your local Certified Professional Horticulturist for advice in choosing the perfect flavor(s) for your garden. Whether evergreen or deciduous, amazing Azaleas will provide some much needed spring flower power to your home landscape!
