Rhododendron austrinum hybrid 'Stonewall Jackson'

'Stonewall Jackson' is one of the Dodd nurseries' celebrated Confederate Series of deciduous native azalea hybrids, introduced by Tom Dodd Jr. and Tom Dodd III of Semmes, Alabama. The plant is a cross between the Exbury azalea 'Hotspur Yellow' and the native Florida azalea, Rhododendron austrinum, uniting the size and substance of the English hybrids with the fragrance and Gulf Coast toughness of the wild Southern species.

The reward is generous: large trusses of big, clear yellow flowers marked with reddish tubes and washes of red to pink, so that each cluster carries warmth and depth rather than flat color. Bloom comes in spring, tubular and long-stamened in the honeysuckle manner of the native azaleas, and a sweet fragrance drifts on the warm air. Reaching eight to ten feet with an upright, open frame, the shrub makes a strong seasonal statement in the Southern garden.

Like the rest of the Confederate Series, 'Stonewall Jackson' leans on the native Florida azalea for heat tolerance, early bloom, and scent, the very traits that let deciduous azaleas thrive along the Gulf. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek. As with all azaleas, the plant is for the eye and the nose, not the table: every Rhododendron holds grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten by people or pets.

These azaleas are fine plants for the Southern garden, best set in sandy, acidic soil with good drainage, a mulch of pine straw, and the light, high shade of tall pines. Give 'Stonewall Jackson' room to rise at the woodland edge or the back of a native border, site the shrub where the fragrance can be caught, and combine with pink and orange native azaleas, ferns, and native phlox for a layered spring show. Morning sun deepens the color while afternoon shade protects the foliage.