Blooming Azaleas
My azaleas are putting on quite a show at my Bedford, New York farm.
Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas and tree peonies provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have them planted together in a garden just outside my Summer House, and when they bloom this time of year, they make one corner of my property erupt with spectacular color. This season, I added more than 150 azaleas along the carriage road to my stable - all different varieties and colors from pure white to pink to crimson to orange. Azaleas can thrive in a wide variety of growing conditions, which makes them so useful in many different landscapes. They are popularly referred to as the “royalty of the garden” - long adorned for their brightly colored flowers and evergreen foliage.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- My azalea collection is in a lightly wooded area, where they get filtered sunlight through the day.
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- Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron.
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- Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
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- Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe and North America. These plants can live for many years, and they continue to grow their entire lives.
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- Plant height ranges from about three to six feet for most varieties, but rare plants can range from under one foot to well over 15-feet tall.
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- When selecting a location for planting, be sure you know the mature size of the plants so they can be grouped accordingly in the landscape – tall plants in the background and short plants in the foreground.
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- The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center. The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides.
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- Azalea flowers can be single, hose-in-hose, double or double hose-in-hose, depending on the number of petals.
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- Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy or ruffled. Many azaleas have two to three inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange and yellow.
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- The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom so you can see their flower colors and forms. Azalea ‘Violetta’ blooms are the most astonishing pink flowers. ‘Violetta’ is great for beds and borders, containers and areas that need color. I planted several of these under my cream colored magnolias.
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- Last month, we planted dozens of azaleas – continuing down the road from the original collection all the way to my stable.
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- ‘Delaware Valley White’ is an evergreen azalea. It typically grows three to four feet tall over the first 10 years. It has tubular, funnel-shaped, usually single, white flowers that bloom in clusters.
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- Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter. Morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal. This is Azalea ‘Tradition.’ It is covered in stunning clusters of pink trumpet-shaped flowers in mid spring. The glossy oval leaves remain dark green throughout the winter.
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- Azaleas have short root systems, so they can easily be transplanted in early spring or early fall. Be careful not to plant too deep and water thoroughly after transplanting. Azalea ‘Hino Crimson’ features a profusion of single, crimson blooms that appear early and continue through spring. ‘Hino Crimson’ is one of the hardiest of the semi-dwarf, evergreen azaleas.
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- Azalea ‘Stewartstonian’ is a beautiful, showy shrub with its lovely, orange-red flowers in the spring, and its evergreen foliage during the cold months of the year.
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- Azalea ‘Blaauws Pink’ grows up to four feet tall and as wide. It features double, hose-in-hose, salmon-pink flowers in a dense, shrub.
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- Look at this bright yellow Azalea Narcissiflora – covered in stunning clusters of fragrant buttery yellow trumpet-shaped flowers with yellow throats at the ends of the branches in mid spring.
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- Azalea ‘Cannon’s Double’ is a fabulous deciduous azalea that flowers in late April and with multi-layered petals of peach-pink-red-cream-and a hint of yellow.
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- Remember, never eat azaleas. Like its cousin the rhododendron, the azalea is a toxic plant, and all parts of the plant are poisonous, including the honey from the flowers. Azalea Exbury orange is an upright growing deciduous azalea that explodes with giant trusses of vibrant orange flowers in early to mid-May.
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- I just love how the rich bold colors of azaleas look in the gardens. All the new azaleas are great additions to this area of the farm. The beautiful displays will get even more stunning year after year.
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