I’ve got two plants again today. Both the same genus, but very different species. One evergreen, one not; one native, one not; one small growing, one not.
Many azaleas are ubiquitous in southern gardens (too much in my opinion). But when they bloom they are dramatic and people love them. Did you know that azaleas are Rhododendrons? All azaleas and rhodies share the same genus, Rhododendron. Azaleas belong to a couple of subgenera in the rhodie genus–OK that might be more taxonomy than you’d like to know, see below for more.
So, let’s get to the pics!
This is one of the typical garden azaleas. Rhododendron x obtusum*. This is a Kurume type (there are quite a few “types” of azaleas). I’m not sure what cultivar** it is. The Kurumes are one of the earlier blooming azaleas. It has small flowers and a dense habit. They usually grows about four feet high and wide. This poor plant is continually sheared into a rectangle (something which in the right setting, might be appropriate) because it’s too big for it’s space. But it’s simply covered with blooms right now.
This beauty was found on a Cary, NC greenway. It’s a native azalea, probably Rhododendron periclymenoides but could be Rhododendron canescens. They are very similar species. These azaleas lose their leaves in the winter and the blooms come out before the leaves. The effect is of a tiered candelabra enhanced because the plants can get 10′ high or more. The plants grow in woodlands and are usually found near water. Many of these native species are wonderfully fragrant–this one had only a slight fragrance. There are several natives and cultivars of natives available to gardeners, one very similar to this one is Rhododendron canescens ‘Varnadoes Phlox Pink’.
Taxonomy and plant nomenclature lesson:
*The “x” in this name indicates the plant is a hybrid between species. A large “X” is sometimes seen at the beginning of the name which indicates the plant is a hybrid between genera. The former is quite common, the latter not so much.
**A cultivar is a “cultivated variety”. That is, a plant that has been selected in cultivation and propagated so that all the plants labelled as such are the same. The name is shown in single quotation marks after the species name (which is underlined or italicized). A natural “variety” is written after the abbreviation var. and is not in quotation marks, italicized and usually not capitalized–like Rhododendron minus var. Chapmanii. This one is capitalized because the variety is a form of a proper name (likely the patron of the person who named the plant).
Hi Lynn–gorgeous Azaleas!! The Tsutsuji (azaleas) here won’t bloom ’til May, but I’ll put up photos when they do. My favorites are the larger-flowered blooms that are variously white, pale pink, or dark pink. I’ve seen whole hillsides by train stations covered with them–spectacular! And I *totally* agree about that awful rectangular pruning–looks terrible, and they don’t flower! What on earth is the point of planting azaleas, only to prune them so severely that they don’t bloom? Will *never* understand that. Grrr! Love the candelabra-shaped cultivar in the bottom photo–I’ve never seen one like it! Beautiful, spidery effect (reminds me a little of the Higanbana–the Equinox flower, or Fall suprise lily, that blooms here in September. Not an azalea, but similar spidery growth habit.)
The large flowers might be from what we call the Indica strain of azaleas. I like them too especially because they have such a loose, natural shape. I’ve always heard that some traditional Japanese Gardens include azaleas tightly pruned and even flowers are removed. So the plants can represent green mountains.
**Sorry to have taken so long to post your comments, I hope you come back soon.
Our azaleas are popping as I type this:-)) And over the weekend, we’re going to my in-laws place down on the Izu peninsula. They live right next to an enormous park that has a huge Azalea Fair every year. Pics up next week, I hope!