It ’s no wonder that azalea have become synonymous with the southerly state in the U.S. After all , the dazzling pink , purple , crimson and whitened blossoms are on show worldwide for millions of family to see during the popularMasters Tournamentat Georgia ’s Augusta National golf course every year . Plus , one of the world ’s largest displays of native and cultivated azalea — more than 20,000 of them — can be look at each bounce atCallaway Gardensin Pine Mountain , Georgia , which was to begin with developed in the 1950s after the owner , Carson Callaway , discovered a rarified nativeazaleaon the property .
These colourful plants originated in China andJapan , and made their fashion to the U.S. via England , France and Germany around the 1830s . The first American azalea were plant on a grove near Charleston , South Carolina , calledMiddleton Place Gardens , and have been associated with Southern garden ever since . The oldest landscaped garden in the U.S. , Middleton Place was create in 1741 by Henry Middleton using the design principles of Andre ' Le Notre , who crafted the gardens at the Château de Vaux le Vicomte and Palace of Versailles in France . Among its highlighting : a stunning vista of blooming azalea garden covering the hillside beneath the trees that is say to take your intimation away .
Some other southerly spots to view these fabulous efflorescence : The gardens at Tryon Palace in New Bern , North Carolina , where azalea garden can be found blooming in naturalized bed during the outpouring , along with thousands of tulip bulbs;Airlie Gardensin Wilmington , North Carolina , double-dyed with 67 acres ( 27 hectare ) boasting more than 100,000 azalea ; andBrookgreen Gardens , between Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island in Murrells Inlet , South Carolina , where you ’ll find a former Timothy Miles Bindon Rice plantation sporting one of the largest collections of outdoor sculpture in the U.S. on 551 demesne ( 223 hectares ) surrounded by azalea , camellias and alive oak .
So , why have azalea become the theme song flowers of the South ? While these plants can be grown in many area across the U.S. , they favour the moist , well - drained acidic territory and fond shade of the Southeastern U.S. " Due to their showiness and their adaptability to the climate — making them passably easy to grow — they are pop in the region , " explain Patricia Collins , who is now retire after serving 52 years as director of gardens , teaching and volunteers for Callaway Gardens .
Azaleas tend to be popular in the Southern region as ornamental due to their evergreen leaves , contribute Scott Fanello , editor ofTotalgardener.com . " They offer beautiful blossom in the spring and deep dark-green leaves year - round , " he tell . " Plus , the flowers virtually cover the bush , add more color in the give than almost any other plant other than yearly , which you have to replant every twelvemonth . "
Now, For the Basics …
Azaleas belong to the genusRhododendron , while evergreen azalea are in the subgenusPentantheraand deciduous azaleas are in the subgenusTsutsutsi . Azalea peak generally have five stamen , and rhododendron 10 or more . Azalea leaves exhibit hairs parallel to the leafage surface , commonly along the midrib on the underside of the folio , and tend to be thinner , softer and more pointed than rhododendron leaves . Azaleas blossom along the sides of the stems , as well as at their ends , while rhododendrons usually flower only at the ending .
According to theAzalea Society of America , azalea have been cross for one C of years , with almost 10,000 different varieties having been named since that clip . The unlike varieties of azaleas are classify as being specie or loanblend . mintage get from source ( unless crossed with other specie or hybrid ) , and hybrids are crosses between other coinage or hybrids that can be reproduced only from cutting off that are clones of the mother plant .
Meanwhile , they offer a panoptic variety of works habit , sizes , color and efflorescence times to fulfill almost every landscape gardening need or personal taste . All aboriginal North American azaleas are deciduous ( which means they drop their leaf in the fall ) , with flower colors include white , purplish , pinkish , cherry-red , orange and yellow-bellied . evergreen plant azalea , native primarily to Japan , have blossom colors include white and various shades of majestic , pink , violent and reddish orange , but not yellow . Color patterns include individual colors and atomic number 83 - color , as well as sector , stripe and fleck , sometimes on the same plant .
Bloom sizing vary greatly on different smorgasbord of azalea ( from a half - inch [ 1.27 - centimeter ] blossom to 4- to 5 - inch [ 10- to 12 - centimeter ] blooms ) . And the types of bloom reach from " individual " flowers with five ( rarely six ) flower petal , to flowers with 10 to 12 petals , " double " flowers with a variable number of petals and " twofold hose - in - hose " peak with 30 or more petals .
verbalize of petal , these also vacillate from slender shoulder strap - like petal to completely overlapping and rounded petals . Petal boundary may be flat , recurve , rippled or flick . Leaves vary from as little as a quarter of an inch to well over 6 inches ( 15 centimeters ) in distance , commonly 1 to 2 column inch ( 2.5 to 5 centimetre ) for evergreen azaleas . While normally gullible , some plants have leaf with white or yellow mottling or edge .
industrial plant habits of the different varieties stray from stiffly upright , to wide spreading , to irregular . Plant height can differ from less than a fundament to more than 15 feet ( 4.5 meters ) . A few evergreen varieties are weep and may be grow as a hang basketball hoop . Many varieties are dense and compact , others are quite undecided and some almost tree diagram - like .
Most azalea change bloom in the leaping , around May , in the mid - Atlantic area of the U.S. , with some blooming a calendar month or so earlier and some as recently as August . bloom typically last for one or two weeks , and in warm climates such as the Deep South , some azalea varieties bloom again in the gloam .
Are They Easy to Grow?
By realize heedful pick , gardeners in almost every part of the South can revel some of these plants , even if that means produce them in containers . rhododendron more often than not do better in the Upper and Middle South , although a number of selections thrive in the Lower South . Azaleas , however , are more accommodative , and with the necessary attention to soil , light and right pick can be grow throughout the South .
" They are promiscuous to originate , because they are customary to the climate in the Southeast , " say Collins . " They are shallow - steady down plants , so you need to be sure to not establish deeply . Also be sure not to to a great extent hoe or gage around them , as you ’ll ruin the roots and harm the plant . "
Fanello agrees that they are super easy to uprise , add that azaleas can be purchased from most local nursery in toilet . To grow them , he suggests the comply steps ( which he get word while working for a landscape painting companionship ):
How Can You Extend Their Season?
grant to theAzalea Society of America , these flowers needs broadly need considerable shade ( although some varieties do well in full sun , especially deciduous types ) ; slimly acid soil ( pH scale 5.5 - 6 is best , and is normally found under oak , pine and holly Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ) ; and a mulch of pine bark , pine needles or woods chips to keep moisture in the solid ground , even out change in the grease temperature and discourage weeds .
To void inducing new growth , which may be pour down in the winter , the Azalea Society of America advises against fertilize in late winter or other spring , and never after July 1 . In addition , major pruning of azalea should be done shortly after they flower to annul turn off off next class ’s flower buds , while bowdlerise or dispatch long slender stems with no side shoots and cutting out dead wood may be done at any sentence .
Finally , using a fungicidal atomiser , as needed in the spring as the bud show color , will ensure " petal blight , " a fungous disease that read up as discolored battery-acid on the flower petal , and quickly discolors and tumble the bloom .
Azaleas are perennial , so they ’ll occur back year after year , adds Fanello . " you could offer the time of year , " he pronounce , " by planting tardy - blooming varieties , such as the pinkish " Sweet September , " orange " Flame Creeper " terra firma mixed bag or " Weston ’s Lemon Drop " that has peach bud that open into yellow prime . "
