fashion azalea

Botanical Pronunciation: az-ZAY-lee-uh
Key feature: Spring Flowering
Plant types: Shrub, Rhododendron
Garden style: Asian/Zen
Deciduous/evergreen: Evergreen
Cold hardiness zones: 6 - 9
Light needs: Partial sun
Sunset climate zones: 4 - 9, 14 - 24, 31 - 33

Water Needs: Needs regular watering - weekly, or more often in extreme heat.
Average landscape size: Moderate growing to 2 to 4 ft. tall, 3 to 5 ft. wide.
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Round
Flower attribute: Showy Flowers
Special features: Attracts Hummingbirds
Landscape uses: Mass Planting, Woodland Garden
Flower color: Red
Blooms: Spring
Foliage color: Green

Care Information

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Provide well drained soil, rich in organic matter. Feed with an acid fertilizer after bloom. Keep roots cool with a thick layer of mulch.

Design Ideas

A vivid red azalea should be prominent in foundation planting, particularly the front yard where it makes a big color splash from the street. Also works very well beneath tree groves in a naturalistic woodland setting. Problem solver for homes influenced by large old shade or street trees because azaleas thrive in the half shade and acidic soils they create. Azaleas pair with cherry blossoms to herald spring in the traditional Japanese tea garden and other landscaping influenced by Asian style. It's an American staple for traditional homes of the old South and middle Atlantic states.

Companion Plants

Azaleas are exceptional companions for Burgundy Lace Japanese Maple, (Acer palmatum var. atropurpureum 'Burgundy Lace'), Leatherleaf Fern, (Rumhora adiantiformis), Yaku Princess Rhododendron, (Rhododendron x 'Yaku Princess') and Silvery Sunproof Lilyturf, (Liriope muscari 'Silvery Sunproof').

History

Fashion' is among the varieties developed at the USDA Plant Introduction Station in Glenn Dale, Maryland. The work is attributed to Director Ben Moorison who began work in 1935, and by 1952 over 400 hybrids had been introduced. 'Fashion' is one of the most famous of all Glenn Dale hybrids.

Lore

Although they are listed as though Azalea was a genus, these plants fall into genus Rhododendron. The azaleas constiute a group of rhododendrons with unique characteristics.