Azaleas: An iconic landscape plant

Azaleas are one of the most iconic landscape plants of the south, with seemingly every yard in sight having at least one, if not many more than that. I recently moved into a new house in town, and though I haven’t counted, I strongly suspect that there are more azaleas on my property than all other species of tree and shrub combined. Some folks love azaleas because the shrubs provide almost unparalleled flower color during the 2-3 weeks they are in bloom each year, while other people lament that azaleas are relatively bland the other 49 weeks of the year. Personally, my tastes fall somewhere in the middle, as I believe both statements are true.

There is, of course, more than one type of azalea. Many, many more, in fact. The NC State Plant Toolbox, an online resource that provides valuable information on plants relevant to our state, recognizes 32 unique species and significant hybrid groups of azaleas, while the Azalea Society of America recognizes over 100 species, and more than 10,000 named hybrid cultivars found throughout the country. Botanically, azaleas are classified in the Rhododendron genus, though what we commonly refer to as a Rhododendron is a large shrub with broad leathery leaves and large bell-shaped flowers, while azaleas typically have smaller leaves and smaller funnel-shaped flowers.

Some of the most common azaleas in our part of the world include the Southern Indica azaleas (Rhododendron indicum), the Dwarf Indica or Gumpo azaleas (Rhododendron eriocarpum), the Kurume azaleas (Rhododendron ponticum), and the Encore azaleas, which are a relatively new group of hybrids that bloom multiple times each year. All of these are evergreen shrubs, and they all prefer moist, well-drained acidic soil in full to partial shade, though the Encore group is slightly more sun tolerant.

Top left: Dwarf Indica (Gumpo) Azalea is among the most popular azaleas in the South. Photo: Cliff, CC BY 2.0. Bottom right: The Kurume Azalea is another favorite. Photo: D.S.N. Ma, CC BY-NC 2.0 These evergreen azaleas tend to be various shades of pink, purple, red, and white. Bottom left: Photo of white azalea: A. Bayer Tamayo, CC-BY-SA 2.0. Top right: The Flame Azalea, a deciduous shrub, has bright golden yellow, funnel-shaped flowers. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY-NC 4.0.

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I’ve always preferred deciduous azaleas, partly due to their comparative rarity to the overwhelming abundance of evergreen azaleas, and partly because some of the deciduous types feature colors not usually seen on evergreen types, which tend to be various shades of pink, purple, red, and white. My grandmother, who lived in Maine, had a Flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) in her back yard that was as golden yellow as the mid-day summer sun when in full bloom. In our garden at home in Massachusetts where I grew up, we had a ‘Dexter’ hybrid Exbury Azalea, which someone gifted my father, who is also named Dexter, and it was a deep orange color. While not terribly common in Eastern NC, either of these can be grown here in the right conditions.

Azaleas are shallow-rooted plants, which means they can dry out quickly when soil moisture is low, particularly early in their life. They can also develop root rot in poorly-drained soils. They can also struggle with some cosmetic pests such as azalea lace bug, when planted in more sun than they desire. With proper placement, however, they are quite easy to grow and relatively pest free.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Master Gardener Infoline at 252-902-1705.