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Azaleas

Loved for their large, lush flower clusters.

Azalea

Azaleas have been referred to as the “Royalty of the Garden” for their intensely coloured flowers, overall shape and finely textured foliage.  When in bloom they are definite show stoppers.

Rhododendron ‘Golden Lights’

It is often difficult to tell the difference between Azaleas and Rhododendron.   All Azaleas are rhododendrons but not all rhododendrons are azaleas which is why they do look similar.  The best way to determine which one you are looking at is to remember that Azalea flowers have just 5 stamens while rhododendrons flowers can have 10 or more in each of their blossoms.

Glen Echo Nurseries stocks Deciduous Azaleas, with most being part of the Northern Lights Series.  The Northern Lights Series are very hardy (bred to withstand temperatures of -35 to -45°), and easy to care for in our area.  The bloom time for these stunning shrubs can vary greatly by variety.  There are a few rules of thumb to follow to be a successful Azalea grower.  First, they do love sun – at least 6 hours a day.  Second, you cannot let them dry out.  They like to be kept moist without being too wet.  Applying a decent amount of mulch can keep the soil moist in summer and also protect the plant during the winter months.  Mulch will also provide all of the nutrients that azaleas need while the mulch decays.  Mulch will have to be topped up and most gardeners like to do this every spring.  And third, they do their absolute best in an acidic soil, as do their companions rhododendrons and blueberries.

Please Note: To promote flowering for the following season, any pruning should be done soon after blooming, to leave enough time for the buds to reset.

Don’t be afraid to plant these tough, easy to grow, incredible shrubs – the rewards are worth it!

Candy Lights Azalea

Add some outdoor décor with this sweetly fragrant accent shrub. Clusters of trumpet-shaped light pink blooms with yellow streaks cover the plant. The display continues with the medium green leaves that appear after flowering and turn burgundy in fall.

Fireball Azalea

This striking Azalea is bathed in medium-sized, trumpet-shaped, bright orange-red flowers with a delicate fragrance. They first appear as red buds in late spring. Its leaves emerge bronze-red, maturing to mid green, and then develop incredible autumn colour.

Golden Lights Azalea

A member of the Northern Light, these Azaleas are exceptionally cold hardy. This fragrant Azalea opens with red-orange buds in late spring to early summer and transforms into these amazing buttery golden blooms with salmon to orange highlights. Quite spectacular!

Lemon Lights

Lemon Lights puts on a stunning display with blooms of lemon-yellow ranging from a pale, almost translucent yellow at the tips to a more vibrant shade in the trumpet. A unique Azalea that is often considered bi-colored. Part of the Northern Lights series makes this dazzling Azalea super hardy.

Mandarin Lights Azalea

A gardener's dream! This compact, flashy shrub is positively covered in ruffled, bright red-orange flowers with a wonderfully light scent. Light up your garden day or night with this vivid performer, a member of the hardy Northern Lights series.

Northern Hi-Lights Azalea

Northern Hi-Lights’ is a fabulous azalea that grows 4 to 5 ft. in height and 4 to 5 ft. in width. Its fragrant blooms are creamy white to pale yellow with a vivid yellow blotch and age to yellowish white. Its leaves have some resistance to mildew and turn red and burgundy in fall.

Orchid Lights Azalea

Orchid Lights Azalea is bathed in stunning clusters of lilac purple trumpet-shaped flowers with fuchsia spots at the ends of the branches in mid spring before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage and in the fall the narrow leaves turn yellow in fall.

Rosy Lights Azalea

Rosy Lights Rhododendron is the next flowering, deciduous shrub you need in your garden. It is incredibly cold hardy and produces fragrant, bright pink blooms in late spring. Pruning is recommended after the flowers are finished to control the size and shape of this shrub.

Tri-Lights Azalea

Azalea Tri Lights, a deciduous Azalea from the Northern Lights Series. Clusters of trumpet shaped flowers cover this plant. The deep rose buds open to frilly pink and white blooms with yellow upper petals. Medium green leaves emerge after flowering and turn a rich burgundy in the fall. The Tri-Light Azalea has a mounding, round habit when mature and grows to 5 ft tall x 6 ft spread. Spring bloomer and hardy to -30°F (-34.4°C). A beautiful, fragrant shrub that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Western Lights Azalea

Western Lights was developed from the Northern Lights™ ‘Orchid Lights’ azalea, producing larger flowers, more vigorous foliage and cold hardy. The trumpet shaped lavender-pink blossoms offer a showy display for shaded areas. Its lush green foliage turns maroon in the fall, offering a bit of seasonal interest for the landscape. This compact deciduous shrub is fragrant and attracts a variety of pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds. ‘Western Lights’ would be excellent as a specimen plant, hedge, foundation planting, or shrub border. It would also make for a beautiful privacy screen.

White Lights Azalea

White Lights Azalea is smothered in stunning clusters of lightly-scented white trumpet-shaped flowers with a yellow blotch at the ends of the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive shell pink flower buds before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage. The narrow leaves turn an outstanding purple in the fall.

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