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  • Home
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  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
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    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
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    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
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    • Fall Veggie Garden Clean-up
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
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    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
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    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Heavenly Bamboo
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Hydrangeas, Mophead & Lacecap
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
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    • Japanese Skimmia
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    • Katsura Trees
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
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Deciduous Azaleas
May's Plant of the Month 2023

Rhododendron's Naked & Fancy Cousin

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Kennells Gold delicate flowers are quite fragrant.
deciduous azaleas
They have good fall colour before leaf drop.
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The long stamens of Kennells Gold azalea.
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Chinese azalea, R. molle, grows as wide as it is tall. Perfect for a woodland garden.
Chinese azalea,Rhododendron mollis
Chinese azalea, R. molle bears fragrant flowers in orange, yellows and reds.
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deciduous azaleas
Rhododendron Pentanthera
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An underplanting of deciduous azaleas at Dart's Hill Garden Park, Surry.
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A floriferous yellow azalea at its peak in May,
Rhododendron 'Golden Comet'
'Golden Comet'
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A species deciduous azalea, R. luteum.
deciduous azalea Golden Comet
'Golden Comet'
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A golden deciduous azalea and purple leaf Japanese maple.
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Numerous varieties bear one petal with a yellow blotch.
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​Common Name:  deciduous azalea
Botanical Name:  Rhododendron species & hybrids
Form:    upright vase shape
Family:  Ericaceae
Genus:  Rhododendron, subgenus: Pentanthera
Species:  2 species and subsequent hybrids
Plant Type: deciduous shrub
Mature Size:  4’-8’ x 4’x8’
Growth: fast
Origin:  Eastern North America, Asia & Europe
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 10 depending on species
Foliage:  emerge after flowers, green, elliptic, soft, hairy (pubescent), pinnate, narrow, up to 3” long, new leaves tinged bronze or red, then they turn purple, orange and red in autumn
Flowers: racemes of tube or funnel shaped, 5 petals, maybe double, held in clusters, spring, pink, orange, yellow, white, rose, salmon
Fruit: brown, capsules that slit open, hybrids are generally infertile
Stems:  leaves are alternate on woody stems
Exposure:  part sun to full sun (in temperate climates)
Soil:  an acid rich (pH 4.5-6.0) moist soil with good drainage, add plenty of compost and  a layer of mulch, do not like dry soil
Uses:  attracts pollinators, fall colour, dear resistant
Propagation: seeds, layering, cuttings 
Pruning:  immediately after flowering, generally not needed
​Problems:  scale insects, spray with dormant oil in late winter

Comments: 
Deciduous azaleas are members of the rhododendron family. They are the odd guy out as, unlike their cousins, they are not evergreen. Their flowers are similar, except the deciduous azaleas bear colours that their counterparts do not. Instead of only red, white, pink and purple flowers, deciduous azaleas are neon bright in oranges, yellows, pinks, whites and reds. Some have ultra long stamens that resemble long eyelashes, and most are deliciously fragrant. Hummingbirds and butterflies love their sweet nectar and pollen.

Deciduous azaleas are members of the Rhododendron genus, subsection Pentanthera. Many species are hardier than evergreen rhododendrons and azaleas. Their form is delicate as their branches and leaves are smaller, thinner, and are sprinkled with soft foliage on airy stems.
 
Deciduous azaleas have two types of buds: flower cluster buds and leafy shoot buds. Flowers have five petals that flair out like trumpets. They only have 5 stamens, compared rhododendrons that have 10. Flowers are born in large clusters in trusses at the end of stems.
 
Blossoms appear in spring before the leaves do. They are the brilliant beacons in woodland gardens when other plants have yet to don foliage. Their simple, green, small soft hairy leaves turn brilliant colours in the fall, which adds another layer of interest.
 
Despite the lack of leaves during the winter, their bare stems look pretty good. Deciduous azaleas have an attractive upright spreading form and provide the garden with some good winter bones.
 
Care: Group deciduous azaleas together as understory planting among trees for a creative flower show. They love the dappled shade and bring light, life and attention to shady corners.
 
Azaleas are shallow rooted and must be mulched with 3 inches of an organic mulch. These are acid loving plants and need a low pH of around 5. Yellow foliage and lack of growth are sure signs that the soil pH is too high. Use compost, kelp and other organic plant food to promote an acid pH of 4.5-6.0. There are also acidifying fertilizers available specifically for acid loving plants. Refrain from fertilizing after July, unless the pH is high. Fertilizing after July may delay dormancy, which might contribute to winterkill. And don’t forget to mulch.
 
Here are a few of the numerous types of deciduous azaleas. Ensure they have moist soil with good drainage and not full afternoon sun especially when grown in the south.
  • R. alabamense (smooth azalea): Alabama, musky, sweet, scented white flowers with yellow patch, flowers April to June, 4 – 6 tall’, zones 7 to 8.  
  • R. arborescens (sweet azalea): Eastern US, 2” flowers in May to Aug, white with yellow patch, red stamens & pistils, flowers, new leaves smooth with no hair, glossy foliage lighter underneath, 8 to 15’, zones 4 to 7. Cultivars 'Dynamite', 'Georgiana', 'Hot Ginger'
  • R. atlanticum (dwarf azalea): Eastern US, spread by rhizomes, white to light pink flowers in April & May, floral, musky scent, 2 – 6 feet tall. Zones 6 to 9. Cultivars include ‘My Mary’ and ‘Rosy Cheeks.’
  • R. austrinum (Florida azalea): Georgia to Florida, up to 15 feet, March to April yellow, gold, orange flowers. Zones 6 to 10. Cultivars include the Aromi series.
  • R. calendulaceum (flame azalea): bright orange, red, yellow blossom 2 to 3” on 4 to 8’ plants, April to July, zones 5 to 7.
  • R. canescens (Piedmont, Southern Pinxter azalea): Southeastern US in swamps & savannas, pinkish funnel shaped flowers with long stamens in March to May, 6 - 10’. Zones 5 to 9. Cultivars are: ‘Varnadoe’s’ series and ‘Snowbird’
  • R. cumberlandense (Cumberland azalea): Cumberland Mountainsm Southeast US, 4 to 8 feet, yellows, oranges, reds, May to July, zone 5 to 7.
  • R. flammeum (syn, R, speciosum) (Oconee azalea): Eastern southern US, vivid amber, orange, apricot and red in April, 6 to 8’,. Zones 6 to 7. Cultivars: ‘Varnado’s Salmon’, ‘Choptank Rose’.
  • R. mollis, Mollis azalea, developed in Holland and Belgium, yellow, orange, salmon, white and pink flowers, May to June4-6 ft, sun to part shade, Cultivars ‘Anthony Koster’, Arneson Flame’, ‘Christopher Wren’, zones 5 -8.
  • Exbury & Knapp Hill hybrids, cultivars from England, fragrant flowers in May, June, up to 3”, shades of yellow, orange, white, red and pink, plants grow 4 to 6’ tall. Zonwa 5 to 9. Good fall colour. ‘Cecile’, ‘Frills’, ‘King Red’
  • Occidentale Hybrids, cross between Mollis hybrid and R. occidentalis (Western Azalea), 8 to 10’, May to June, fragrant, yellow, pink, orange flowers that often have an orange blotch. Zones 7 to 9. Cultivars: ‘Candystripe’, ‘Jock Brydon’ 
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Their green leaves turn brilliant colours in autumn.
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Flowers are so plentiful, they are crushed together.
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The brilliant orange of a Florida azalea, A. austrinum.
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A white sweet azalea , R. arborescens

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  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Fall Veggie Garden Clean-up
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Azaleas, Deciduous
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Elderberries, Sambucus
    • Evergreen Clematis
    • English Daisies
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Heavenly Bamboo
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Hydrangeas, Mophead & Lacecap
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese spirea
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Katsura Trees
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Shrubby Cinquefoil
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Variegated Wintercreeper
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tours & Such
    • South Delta Garden Club Tour 2023
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
    • Christmas Wreaths
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?
    • Gift Cards
  • Garden Club Events