{"title":"Azalea \u0026 Rhododendron","description":"\u003cp\u003eAzaleas and rhododendrons are two branches of a single great genus, woody shrubs of acid, woodland soils grown above all for their spring flowers. Between them they run from low, twiggy, deciduous azaleas, many of them fragrant native species, to bold evergreen rhododendrons with large leaves and trusses of bloom. What unites them is the flower: massed, vivid, and, at peak, almost total.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the landscape they are woodland-edge plants, happiest in the dappled light and cool, humus-rich soil beneath high trees. Grown in drifts they turn a shaded slope or border into a wall of spring color; grown singly they punctuate a bed and, in the evergreen kinds, hold structure and leaf year-round. Their season is short and spectacular, so they are best sited among plants that carry interest before and after the bloom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe grow azaleas and rhododendrons because they are central to the character of the Southern garden, and because the native azaleas in particular are treasures: fragrant, graceful, and deeply valuable to wildlife. Their flowers feed early pollinators, including the butterflies and native bees that emerge with the spring, and the shrubs themselves shelter the small life of the woodland edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive them acid, moist, well-drained soil, part shade, and a mulch of leaf litter, and never let them dry out or bake in full sun. Plant them with our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/camellias\"\u003eCamellias\u003c\/a\u003e for a classic acid-soil, four-season planting, underplant with our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/ferns\"\u003eFerns\u003c\/a\u003e, and find the native kinds among our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/southeast-natives\"\u003eSoutheastern Natives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rhododendron-atlanticum","title":"Rhododendron atlanticum","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron atlanticum\u003c\/em\u003e, the coastal or dwarf azalea, is a low, colony-forming native of the open pine woods and sandy flatwoods of the mid-Atlantic and Carolina coastal plain. Unlike the tall wild azaleas of the mountains, this species stays close to the ground, often no higher than the knee, and spreads by underground runners, or stolons, into broad, drifting colonies. The bluish, glaucous foliage is a hallmark, cool and sea-gray, and the species name atlanticum simply marks the plant's home along the Atlantic seaboard. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek; azalea comes from azaleos, meaning dry, a fitting root for a shrub of sandy, well-drained ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn April, before or just as the new leaves unfold, the shrub covers itself in rounded clusters of white flowers, often flushed pink in the bud and along the tube, each blossom coated in sticky glands and breathing a strong, spicy, clove-like fragrance. For a plant so modest in stature, the perfume is remarkable, and a colony in full bloom can scent an entire corner of the garden. The tubular, long-stamened flowers hold a lightly waxy sheen from the glandular hairs that cover them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe coast azalea belongs to the same beloved tribe of Southern bush honeysuckles grown for fragrance rather than food, and the usual caution applies: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar hold grayanotoxins and are not edible for people or pets. Deer, unfortunately, do not read the warning and will browse the plant, so a colony may need protection where deer pressure runs high. The flowers, meanwhile, feed early butterflies, native bees, and the first hummingbirds of spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe low, suckering habit makes the coast azalea a natural for the front of a woodland border, a sandy bank, or a naturalistic groundcover-scale drift beneath high pines, where the glaucous blue-gray foliage reads beautifully against darker greens. Give partial shade or morning sun, sharp drainage, and an acidic, sandy or organic soil that stays evenly moist without staying wet. Shelter the plant from harsh winter wind and late frost, mulch the shallow roots, and let the colony knit together over time among ferns, wiregrass, and other native azaleas for a fragrant, low tapestry in spring.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057969729651,"sku":"RHOD-ATLA-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-483.jpg?v=1720140716"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum","title":"Rhododendron austrinum","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, the Florida azalea, is among the earliest and most powerfully fragrant of all the wild deciduous azaleas of the Deep South. Native to the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia, southern Alabama, and into Mississippi, the species haunts open pine woods, ravine slopes, and river bluffs, often growing in sandy, acidic ground beneath tall longleaf pines. The species name austrinum simply means southern, a fitting label for an azalea so at home in the Gulf Coast heat, and the genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn late March and April, well ahead of most garden azaleas and often before the new leaves unfold, the shrub bursts into rounded trusses of tubular, long-stamened flowers in a warm range from clear gold through honey-yellow to orange and apricot. The fragrance is remarkable, a sweet, spicy perfume that carries far on a still spring morning, and the flowers arrive so early that they feed the first returning hummingbirds and the season's earliest butterflies and native bees. Tall and open in habit, reaching twelve to fifteen feet with age, the Florida azalea becomes a small flowering tree in an old planting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Florida azalea has done more than perfume Southern woods; the species stands behind a great many of the region's finest garden azaleas. Breeders from Dr. Eugene Aromi to the Dodd nurseries reached again and again for austrinum to lend heat tolerance, early bloom, and fragrance to their hybrids, so this wild shrub is in many ways the taproot of Deep South azalea horticulture. Like all of the wild azaleas, though, the plant is grown for beauty rather than the table: every Rhododendron carries grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten by people or animals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the garden the Florida azalea wants the conditions of the native pinewoods: dappled light or morning sun with afternoon shade, and a moist but sharply drained, acidic soil enriched with pine bark or leaf mold. Give the shrub room to rise and arch, at the back of a woodland border, along a shaded drive, or among high pines where the early gold can glow against bare branches. The fragrance rewards a spot near a path, porch, or window, and the plant combines beautifully with later native azaleas, ferns, and evergreen backdrops of Illicium or holly that set off the spring color.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":43985848926323,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-01G","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3 Gallon","offer_id":43985848959091,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-03G","price":44.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-484.jpg?v=1720140722"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-canescens","title":"Rhododendron canescens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron canescens\u003c\/em\u003e, the Piedmont azalea, is very likely the most widespread of all the wild deciduous azaleas of the Southeast, ranging through the Piedmont, coastal plain, and stream edges from the mid-Atlantic to the Gulf. Country people have long called the plant the Southern pinxter or simply wild honeysuckle, for the sweet, honeysuckle-like scent of the flowers. The species name canescens means becoming gray or hoary, a reference to the soft gray down that coats the undersides of the leaves and the new growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn early spring, often before the leaves, the shrub opens clusters of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers in pale pink to white, each bloom carrying long, gracefully curving stamens that reach out to passing hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The fragrance drifts through the still-bare woods like a quiet benediction, and because the plant blooms so early it lights up shady margins while the canopy is still opening overhead. Summer leaves mature to deep green and turn burgundy red in autumn, a second, quieter season of color.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Piedmont azalea is a true creature of the Southern woods, spreading gently by root suckers into soft, drifting colonies that bloom in chorus each spring, never invasively. Grown for generations as a bush honeysuckle for scent and spring color, the plant belongs to the eye and the nose rather than the table: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar carry grayanotoxins and are not edible. Because canescens is so widespread and so willing, the species readily hybridizes with other native azaleas blooming nearby, which is part of what makes the wild Southern azaleas so endlessly varied.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpright, open, and multi-stemmed, reaching six to fifteen feet in time with a spread to match, the Piedmont azalea naturalizes beautifully at the woodland edge, in an understory planting, or in a loose native drift. Give dappled or filtered shade, a moist but well-drained, acidic soil rich in humus, and a cool mulch, keeping in mind that the plant resents soggy ground even as it loves moisture. Combine with ferns, native phlox, and other deciduous azaleas for a fragrant, layered spring. Additional photos courtesy of Alan Cressler and Sally and Andy Wasowski.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":43218498191475,"sku":"RHOD-CANE-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3 Gallon","offer_id":43218498224243,"sku":"RHOD-CANE-03G","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/RhododendroncanescensSAWasowskiWoodlanders1.jpg?v=1753481303"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-bakeri-x-viscosum","title":"Rhododendron bakeri x viscosum","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis native azalea is a hybrid of two well-loved wild species, the Cumberland azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron bakeri\u003c\/em\u003e, of the southern Appalachians, and the swamp azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron viscosum\u003c\/em\u003e, of wet woodland edges across the East. From the Cumberland azalea the cross takes warm color and a rounded, ball-shaped truss; from the swamp azalea, whose name viscosum means sticky, for the glandular, clammy surface of the flowers, the hybrid takes adaptability to humid ground and a late season of bloom. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flowers open in warm peachy-salmon tones, funnel-shaped and gathered in rounded clusters, blending the reddish fire of the Cumberland azalea with the softer coloring of the swamp azalea parent. Bloom comes late, from late spring into summer, after most native azaleas have finished, so the shrub carries color into the quieter weeks of the season. These blossoms are grown chiefly for that warm late color rather than for strong scent, though a faint sweetness can linger from the swamp-azalea side.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe swamp azalea parentage gives this hybrid real adaptability, an unusual tolerance for damp, humid, even seasonally wet ground that defeats many azaleas, though the plant still wants drainage at the root. Like all of the wild azaleas, the shrub is grown for flower and form and never for eating: every Rhododendron carries grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be tasted by people or pets. The late flowers feed pollinators when little else in the shade garden is blooming.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompact and upright at six to eight feet, this hybrid suits the woodland garden, a moist shaded border, or the edge of a rain garden or pond where damp ground would trouble other shrubs. Give partial shade, morning sun with afternoon relief, and a moist, acidic, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, with a cool mulch over the shallow roots. The dark green summer leaves take on attractive fall color, and the plant combines well with ferns, summersweet, and other moisture-loving natives for a long, layered season.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057971400819,"sku":"RHOD-BAKE-X-VISC-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-1046.jpg?v=1720140743"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-canescens-clyo-red","title":"Rhododendron canescens 'Clyo Red'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Clyo Red' is a striking red-flowered selection of the native Piedmont azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron canescens\u003c\/em\u003e, a species usually seen in soft pink and white. Here the wild pink is deepened to a rich cherry-red, an uncommon and eye-catching tone among the native azaleas, carried on the same fragrant, early-spring frame that makes the Piedmont azalea so beloved. The name points to Clyo, a small community in Effingham County, Georgia, near the plant's Southern home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn early to mid spring, before or as the new leaves emerge, 'Clyo Red' opens clusters of five to nine funnel-shaped flowers, each an inch or two long in deep red, with pistils and stamens that arch elegantly beyond the petals. A sweet fragrance rides the spring air, unusual company for so red a flower, since most red-toned azaleas give up scent for color. Firm, dark green leaves, gray-downy beneath, follow the bloom and turn a rusty red in autumn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBehind the vivid color stands the wild Piedmont azalea, the most widespread native azalea of the Southeast and a long-cherished bush honeysuckle of Southern springs. The species name canescens means becoming gray, for the downy leaf undersides, and the genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek. As with every azalea, the shrub is grown for flower and fragrance and never the table: all Rhododendron carry grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten by people or pets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpright and reaching six to twelve feet in time, 'Clyo Red' brings rare red to the woodland edge, an understory planting, or a mixed native border where the flower color can carry. Give morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered light, a moist but well-drained, acidic soil rich in organic matter, and a cool mulch over the shallow roots. Because red is so scarce among the native azaleas, the shrub reads beautifully against pinks, whites, and yellows, and pairs well with ferns and native phlox for a layered spring.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057973956723,"sku":"RHOD-CANE-CLYO-RED-01G","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-496.jpg?v=1720140798"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-viscosum-glauca","title":"Rhododendron viscosum var. glaucum","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe glaucous swamp azalea is a native deciduous shrub of the wetland South and the eastern seaboard, a blue-leaved form of Rhododendron viscosum, the widespread swamp azalea that ranges from the Gulf Coast north into New England. The variety glaucum sets the plant apart with foliage washed in a soft blue-green, most striking on the leaf undersides, which flash pale as a breeze turns them. Where many shrubs falter, this azalea thrives in the consistently moist, even boggy ground of swamps, marshes, and stream banks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRhododendron viscosum entered the botanical record early, described in the first half of the eighteenth century as European gardeners and naturalists took stock of the rich American azalea flora, and the swamp azalea has been part of cultivated horticulture ever since. The species carries several old common names, clammy azalea and swamp honeysuckle among them, each pointing at a real trait: the sticky, glandular hairs that coat the flower tube, and the sweet, honeysuckle-like scent that gives the shrub much of the garden value.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flowers open in late spring and early summer, after most azaleas have finished, in clusters of narrow white to blush trumpets clothed in glistening sticky hairs and carrying a powerful sweet, clove-like perfume. Bees, butterflies, and hovering sphinx moths work the late bloom, drawn by scent across surprising distances. As with every azalea, the whole plant carries grayanotoxins and is poisonous if eaten, so the swamp azalea is grown for fragrance and beauty rather than for any use, and is best sited away from where livestock might browse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew shrubs solve a wet, acidic, shaded problem as gracefully. Plant the glaucous swamp azalea at a pond or stream edge, in a rain garden, in a boggy low spot, or along a moist woodland border, where the roots find the standing moisture the plant welcomes and the blue foliage cools the greens around the shrub. Full sun is tolerated where the soil stays reliably wet, though morning sun with afternoon shade suits warmer gardens best. Pair with clethra, itea, sweetbay magnolia, and native ferns, and site where the summer fragrance can be caught on the air near a path or a seat.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057974481011,"sku":"RHOD-VISC-VAR-GLAU-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/Rhododendron_viscosum_glauca_Alan-Cressler.jpg?v=1742826068"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-arborescens","title":"Rhododendron arborescens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron arborescens\u003c\/em\u003e, the sweet or smooth azalea, is one of the hardiest and most graceful of the native white azaleas, a tall, loosely branched deciduous shrub of the eastern mountains and piedmont. The common name smooth azalea points to the hairless, glossy twigs and leaves that set the species apart from woollier kin, while sweet azalea speaks to the flowers, which pour out a rich heliotrope perfume. The species epithet arborescens is Latin for becoming tree-like, a fair description of an old plant that can reach ten to eighteen feet, and the genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn late spring and on into summer, well after most native azaleas have finished, the shrub opens clusters of pure white to faintly pink flowers, each blossom shot through with five slender red stamens and a matching red style that arch far beyond the petals. The contrast of white corolla and red filaments is the plant's signature, and the fragrance carries across the garden on a warm evening. Glossy green summer leaves turn deep burgundy and red in autumn, so the shrub earns a second season of interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the wild the sweet azalea haunts the banks of mountain streams, sloping woodlands, and the edges of high bogs from the Appalachians down through the Carolina piedmont, often leaning out over running water. Southern gardeners have long cherished the wild azaleas as bush honeysuckles for their scent, though the old country wisdom was always to admire and never to taste: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar carry grayanotoxins and are not edible. The flowers reward a different guest, drawing swallowtail butterflies, hummingbirds, and native bees to the late-season nectar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause the sweet azalea blooms so late and grows so tall, the shrub fills a valuable niche in the shade garden, carrying fragrant white bloom into the quiet weeks after the spring rush and rising to the back of a woodland border or the middle story beneath high trees. Give moist, acidic, well-drained soil that never dries out, morning sun with afternoon shade, and a cool mulch over the shallow roots. Site the shrub near a streamside planting, a path, or a seating area where the heliotrope fragrance can be enjoyed, and pair with ferns, native phlox, and summersweet for a long, layered season.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057974677619,"sku":"RHOD-ARBO-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/FE3B80A6-465E-442A-8693-83B60C2828DB.jpg?v=1783612070"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-alabamense-frosty","title":"Rhododendron alabamense 'Frosty'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron alabamense\u003c\/em\u003e, the Alabama azalea, is one of the loveliest and, by wide agreement, one of the most powerfully fragrant of all the wild deciduous azaleas of the Southeast. The species grows in hardwood forests and along dry slopes and ridges from north-central Alabama east through western Georgia and into South Carolina, where in mid spring the woods fill with the scent of lemon. Clusters of six to ten white, funnel-shaped flowers, each marked with a clear yellow blotch and finished with long, arching stamens, open just before or alongside the emerging leaves. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek, while azalea derives from azaleos, meaning dry, a nod to the well-drained upland ground these shrubs favor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Frosty' is a named form selected years ago in southwest Georgia by Terry Greer, whose own name is sometimes attached to the plant. Cuttings came to us from our friend and fellow plant nut Dean Jolly. The selection carries the typical white, yellow-blotched, lemon-scented flowers of the species, but earns the name 'Frosty' for handsome, somewhat glaucous foliage, that cool blue-gray cast frosted over the summer leaves. Low and rounded, usually under six feet and inclined to sucker gently into a colony, the shrub keeps a tidy presence long after the flowers have passed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wild azaleas of the Southern woods have been admired for generations as bush honeysuckles, prized for perfume and spring color rather than for any use in the kitchen or the still-room. That distinction is worth remembering: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar of 'Frosty' hold grayanotoxins and are not to be eaten by people or animals. The flowers, however, are a banquet for others, drawing in early butterflies, native bees, and the season's first hummingbirds to the sweetly scented trusses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the garden 'Frosty' asks for the conditions of a Southern woodland edge: dappled light or morning sun with afternoon shade, and a moist but sharply drained, acidic soil laced with pine bark or leaf mold. Set the shrub where the lemon fragrance can be caught on a spring evening, near a path, a porch, or a garden bench, and let the glaucous foliage cool the greens around it through summer. The suckering habit suits a naturalistic planting among ferns, foamflower, and native phlox, or a loose drift of mixed native azaleas that stretch the bloom season from first warmth into early summer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057974743155,"sku":"RHOD-ALAB-FROS-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2071.jpg?v=1720140819"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-hybrid-stonewall-jackson","title":"Rhododendron austrinum hybrid 'Stonewall Jackson'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'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, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, uniting the size and substance of the English hybrids with the fragrance and Gulf Coast toughness of the wild Southern species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057974841459,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-HYBR-STON-01G","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/RhododendronStonewallJacksonWoodlanders2.jpg?v=1743528499"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-chapmanii-x-dauricum-chapmanii-wonder","title":"Rhododendron chapmanii x dauricum 'Chapmanii Wonder'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Chapmanii Wonder' is an uncommon and rewarding evergreen rhododendron, the offspring of an inspired cross made by a Japanese breeder between two very different parents. From the endangered Florida native Chapman's rhododendron, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron chapmanii\u003c\/em\u003e, the plant inherits broadleaf evergreen foliage and Deep South heat tolerance; from the hardy white-flowered form of \u003cem\u003eRhododendron dauricum\u003c\/em\u003e, a species of northeastern Asia, the plant takes cold hardiness and early bloom. The species name dauricum points to Dauria, the region of southeastern Siberia where that parent grows wild, while chapmanii honors Alvan Wentworth Chapman, the nineteenth-century botanist of the Southern flora.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn early spring the shrub covers itself in bright lavender to pinkish-purple flowers, an early and generous display that arrives while much of the garden is still waking. Unlike the deciduous native azaleas, this is a true broadleaf evergreen, holding small, neat green leaves through the year, so the plant earns its place long after the flowers have passed. Compact and rounded at three to five feet, 'Chapmanii Wonder' keeps a tidy, well-behaved presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat makes the plant so satisfying is the rare combination the cross achieved: genuine cold hardiness paired with real heat tolerance, so this rhododendron thrives where many of its kin struggle at one end of the range or the other. Little seen in the nursery trade, the shrub is something of a collector's find. As with all Rhododendron, though, the leaves and nectar carry grayanotoxins and are not to be eaten by people or pets; this is a plant for the eye rather than the table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive 'Chapmanii Wonder' the classic rhododendron situation: filtered light or part shade, shelter from harsh afternoon sun and drying wind, and a moist but sharply drained, acidic soil rich in organic matter. The compact, evergreen habit suits a foundation planting, a shaded border, a woodland edge, or a large container, and the early lavender bloom shows beautifully against darker evergreens or a backdrop of bare spring branches. Combine with ferns, hellebores, and early bulbs for a quietly luminous early-season picture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057974939763,"sku":"RHOD-CHAP-DAUR-WOND-01G","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/Rhododendron_Chapmanii_Wonder_Woodlanders_1.jpg?v=1742573055"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-reagan","title":"Rhododendron austrinum 'Reagan'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Reagan' is a richly colored selection of the Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, chosen in the wild in Florida near the Apalachicola River, the great blackwater river whose ravines shelter some of the Southeast's rarest plants. Where the typical Florida azalea runs to clear gold and orange, this form pairs yellow petals with deep reddish-pink buds and flower tubes, so that from a distance the whole shrub takes on a warm, red-flushed glow uncommon in the species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn early spring, before or just as the new leaves emerge, 'Reagan' opens clusters of tubular, funnel-shaped flowers up to an inch and a half across, each bloom carrying long, arching stamens and a sweet fragrance in the honeysuckle manner of the wild azaleas. The contrast of yellow face and reddish tube gives the flowers real depth of color. The species name austrinum means southern, marking the Gulf Coast home of the Florida azalea, while the genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Florida azalea and its selections belong to the beloved group of Southern wild azaleas, long grown as bush honeysuckles for fragrance and early color rather than for any use in the kitchen. The usual caution holds: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar of 'Reagan' contain grayanotoxins and are not to be eaten by people or pets. The flowers, on the other hand, are a feast for the first hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees of the season.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaching ten to twelve feet with an upright, open frame, 'Reagan' suits the middle or back of a woodland border, a shaded bed beneath high pines, or a naturalistic planting where the red-toned early bloom can carry across the garden. Give filtered light or morning sun with afternoon shade, and a light, sandy, acidic, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. Shelter the shrub from late frost and drying wind, mulch the shallow roots, and combine with clear-yellow azaleas, ferns, and native phlox so the warm color reads against fresh spring green.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057975267443,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-REAG-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2143.jpg?v=1720140834"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-x-alabamensis-addison","title":"Rhododendron x alabamense 'Addison'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Addison' began as a chance seedling of the Alabama azalea, Rhododendron alabamense, and grew into something none of the parents quite predicted. Surely a hybrid, though the exact parentage remains unknown, the plant carries large, dense, dome-shaped terminal clusters that blend shades of yellow, pink, and white in a single truss, a multicolored effect striking enough that the selection first went by the name 'Stunning'. Charles Webb, a good friend of Woodlanders, spotted and selected the seedling in Florida, and the plant now carries the name of one of his young granddaughters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Alabama azalea behind 'Addison' is one of the loveliest of the southeastern natives, a white-flowered, yellow-blotched shrub famous for a clean lemon-and-spice fragrance, and the hybrid keeps that sweet scent alongside the borrowed color. The native deciduous azaleas of the Southeast bloom in a long spring-into-summer relay, and a tall, free-flowering hybrid like this one earns a place at the heart of a collection, feeding the season's early bees and butterflies while the flowers shift through their warm range as they age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe habit is tall and open, reaching ten to twelve feet in time on an airy, upright frame rather than a dense mound, so the plant reads as a small flowering tree at the back of a border as easily as a shrub. Give room for that height, and expect the loose, see-through structure to layer well behind lower companions. As with every azalea, the whole plant carries grayanotoxins and is poisonous if eaten, a trait to keep in mind around children and livestock.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSite 'Addison' at a woodland edge, in a native or mixed border, or in the high, filtered shade of tall pines, where the big multicolored trusses can be met at close range and the fragrance caught in passing. Give the cool, moist, acidic, well-drained soil that all the native azaleas share, mulch the shallow roots with pine straw, and pair with ferns, native phlox, and other spring-blooming azaleas to carry the color forward. A distinctive, personable Woodlanders selection with a good story behind the name.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057975300211,"sku":"RHOD-ALAB-ADDI-01G","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/RhododendronAddisonWoodlanders1.jpg?v=1743528663"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-colemanii","title":"Rhododendron colemanii","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron colemanii\u003c\/em\u003e, the Red Hills azalea, is one of the most recently recognized of all the native deciduous azaleas, first described as a distinct species only in 2008. For years the plant was folded in with the Alabama azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron alabamense\u003c\/em\u003e, which blooms earlier and holds consistently white, yellow-blotched flowers; the Red Hills azalea, by contrast, flowers later and in a wider range of color. The species takes its home ground from the Red Hills country of the inner coastal plain, a narrow range across southwest Georgia and southern Alabama.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlooming in mid to late May, well after most native azaleas have finished, the Red Hills azalea opens fragrant, tubular flowers that may echo the white-and-yellow of the Alabama azalea or run to white, pink, or soft yellow, with or without a blotch, so that no two plants are quite alike. The long-stamened blooms carry the sweet honeysuckle scent for which the wild azaleas are loved, and the late timing extends the native-azalea season into early summer. Green summer leaves close the year in yellow and bronze.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRestricted in the wild and still little known in cultivation, the Red Hills azalea is a genuine rarity, a plant that only recently stepped out of the shadow of a better-known cousin. Like all the Southern wild azaleas, the shrub is grown for fragrance and flower rather than the table: every Rhododendron carries grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten by people or pets. The late, nectar-rich flowers feed bees and butterflies at a season when little else in the shade garden is in bloom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA tall, multi-stemmed shrub reaching ten to twelve feet in time, the Red Hills azalea belongs at the woodland edge, along a shaded creek, or in a naturalistic native planting that mirrors the wild home on slopes and stream banks. Give sandy, acidic, well-drained soil, filtered light or morning sun with afternoon shade, and steady moisture without soggy ground. Set the shrub where the late fragrance can be caught, and pair with ferns, native phlox, and earlier-blooming azaleas so the season runs from first warmth into summer. Additional photos courtesy of Ron Miller.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057975693427,"sku":"RHOD-COLE-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2138.jpg?v=1720140844"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-hybrid-colonel-mosby","title":"Rhododendron austrinum hybrid 'Colonel Mosby'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Colonel Mosby' is among the most arresting of the Dodd nurseries' Confederate Series of native azaleas, a deciduous hybrid raised at Dodd and Dodd Nurseries in Semmes, Alabama. The cross, made by Bob Schwindt, joins the golden Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, with the large-flowered Exbury hybrid 'Hotspur Yellow', and the plant takes its name from John Singleton Mosby, the Confederate cavalry commander known as the Gray Ghost.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flowers are the draw: large, fragrant trusses in a rich, deep pink that shades toward salmon, each bloom flared and lightly fringed and lifted by a glowing golden-yellow flag on the upper petal. The effect is a quiet fire, a warm two-toned glow that reads from across the garden and recalls the wild flame azaleas that bloom beneath longleaf pines. A sweet, spicy fragrance rides the spring air, and the blooms open in the early to mid part of the season, just as the garden begins to stir in earnest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Confederate Series drew on the native Florida azalea for the traits that make Southern gardening possible, heat tolerance, early bloom, and fragrance, and 'Colonel Mosby' carries all three. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek, and azalea traces to azaleos, meaning dry, an old nod to the well-drained ground these shrubs prefer. As with every azalea, the plant is grown for flower and scent rather than the table: all Rhododendron carry grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaching eight to ten feet with an upright, informal frame, 'Colonel Mosby' suits the woodland edge, a native border, or an understory planting among high pines where the deep pink can carry. Give morning sun or filtered light, and an acidic, sandy, well-drained soil that holds a little moisture, mulched with pine straw to keep the shallow roots cool. Set the shrub where the fragrance can be enjoyed, and pair with yellow and orange native azaleas, ferns, and native phlox so the two-toned bloom plays against warmer and cooler neighbors.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057975791731,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-HYBR-COLO-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2151.jpg?v=1720140847"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-hybrid-admiral-semmes","title":"Rhododendron austrinum hybrid 'Admiral Semmes'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Admiral Semmes' is the best known and easiest to grow of the Dodd nurseries' Confederate Series of azaleas, a deciduous hybrid built for the Deep South's heat and humidity. The cross joins the native Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, with the large-flowered Exbury hybrid 'Hotspur Yellow', and was raised at Dodd and Dodd Nurseries in Semmes, Alabama. The plant takes its name from the Confederate admiral Raphael Semmes, and went on to win the Georgia Gold Medal in 2007.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reward is a shrub covered in spring with large, rounded trusses of clear, deep golden-yellow flowers, tubular and long-stamened, that pour out an exceptional fragrance, among the strongest of any yellow azalea. Bloom comes in early to mid spring, and the lustrous dark green summer leaves close the year with a striking turn to golden-orange and bronze. Reaching perhaps six to ten feet over time with a rounded, informal frame, the plant carries both flower power and real garden presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Confederate Series drew on austrinum precisely for the qualities that make Southern gardening possible, heat tolerance, early bloom, and fragrance, and 'Admiral Semmes' inherits all three in full measure. Most of the series are notoriously difficult to propagate, but this selection is the willing exception, growing readily once settled in semi-shade with good drainage. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek. As with every azalea, the shrub is for the eye and the nose, not the table: all Rhododendron carry grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant 'Admiral Semmes' in semi-shade, the light, high shade beneath tall pines being ideal, in moist, acidic, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Site the shrub where the powerful fragrance can be enjoyed, near a path, a porch, or a doorway, and give room for the rounded form to fill out. The golden bloom shines against dark evergreen backdrops of Illicium, holly, or magnolia, and the shrub combines handsomely with ferns, native phlox, and later azaleas that carry the woodland season forward into summer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057976414323,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-HYBR-ADMI-01G","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/3267F861-2547-48F4-926F-63D2F545ECA5.jpg?v=1771876115"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-qbackb","title":"Rhododendron 'QbackB' (Sunbow Solar Flare)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSunbow Solar Flare is the patented name for the azalea catalogued as \u003cem\u003eRhododendron\u003c\/em\u003e 'QbackB' (U.S. Plant Patent 27,083), a deciduous native hybrid bred for the very conditions that defeat most azaleas. The plant traces to a deliberate cross made in 1984 by Robert Edward Lee in Folsom, Louisiana, who set out to combine the fragrance and vivid color of the Gulf Coast's own Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, with the substance of the Exbury hybrids. A seedling from austrinum open-pollinated with the hybrid 'Gibraltar' was crossed onto 'Chetco', and from that union Lee selected this standout in 1990.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReleased as one of a three-part Sunbow series of sun-tolerant native azaleas, Solar Flare lives up to the astronomical name. In early to mid spring, ahead of many companions, the shrub lights up with generous trusses of bright yellow flowers washed with a hint of orange, opening from darker orange-red buds so the whole plant reads two-toned, like a flare caught mid-burst. A rich honeysuckle fragrance pours off the trusses. Unusual among azaleas, this selection was chosen for genuine sun tolerance, which lets a gardener use the plant where a woodland azalea would sulk.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBehind the trademark stands one of the South's most beloved wildflowers. The native deciduous azaleas, the wild honeysuckle-azaleas of old country speech, have perfumed springtime woods from the Carolinas to the Gulf for centuries, and \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e lends this hybrid both that scent and the golden fire in the petals. The genus name Rhododendron is Greek for rose tree; the older name azalea, from azaleos, meaning dry, hints at the well-drained ground these shrubs prefer. As with all azaleas, the foliage and nectar contain grayanotoxins and are not for eating, a small caution against a great deal of beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeciduous and upright, reaching roughly four to six feet, Solar Flare suits the sunny edge of a border, a foundation planting with afternoon relief, or a naturalistic sweep among pines where the spring color can carry. Because the plant accepts more sun than most azaleas, a gardener can choose brighter, more open ground, though morning sun with a little afternoon shade still yields the best foliage. Give moist, acidic, well-drained soil, mulch the shallow roots, and pair with ferns, native phlox, and later-blooming shrubs that carry the season forward. Photo courtesy of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42127322906739,"sku":"RHOD-QBAC-SUNB-SOLA-01G","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/IMG_9183_cf1e538a-eb53-4741-b6cd-283ef8870499.jpg?v=1722291766"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-hybrid","title":"Rhododendron 'Sunstruck'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Aromi Sunstruck' is one of the deciduous azaleas raised by Dr. Eugene Aromi, the Mobile educator whose decades of patient hybridizing gave the Deep South a whole race of heat-tolerant azaleas. Beginning in the late 1960s, Aromi crossed the large, brilliant Exbury and Knap Hill strains with hardy southern natives, above all the Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, to win big, fragrant flowers on shrubs that could take Gulf Coast summers. He described more than fifty thousand seedlings over a lifetime of work and named only the finest hundred or so; 'Aromi Sunstruck' carries that pedigree of selection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrue to the name, the flowers arrive like a burst of sunlight. Each tubular, funnel-shaped bloom spreads about one and three-quarter inches across, with wavy-edged lobes of vivid yellow brightened by a warm orange-yellow blotch, and the blossoms gather into loose trusses of roughly fourteen for a full, glowing spring display. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek, while azalea derives from azaleos, meaning dry, a nod to the airy, well-drained woodland these shrubs favor; neither name hints at the sheer wattage of the color.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe southern native azaleas standing behind this hybrid have perfumed springtime forests from Florida to the Carolinas for generations, prized in old gardens as bush honeysuckles for their scent rather than any use in the kitchen or the medicine chest. That distinction matters: like every Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar of 'Aromi Sunstruck' contain grayanotoxins and are not to be eaten by people or animals. This is a plant to admire with the eyes and the nose, not the tongue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeciduous and informally upright at four to six feet, 'Aromi Sunstruck' is made for the woodland garden, the shaded border, or an understory spot beneath high-limbed pines and oaks. Morning sun brings out the fullest color while afternoon shade keeps the foliage fresh, and a moist, acidic, well-drained soil with a cool mulch keeps the roots content. Set the shrub among ferns, native phlox, and foamflower, or in a drift with other Aromi azaleas so the warm yellows and oranges can play off one another when spring arrives.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42127422324851,"sku":"RHOD-SUNS-01G","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/ScreenShot2024-07-29at7.55.41PM.png?v=1722297751"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-great-balls-of-fire","title":"Rhododendron 'Great Balls of Fire'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Great Balls of Fire' belongs to the celebrated line of Aromi azaleas, the life's work of Dr. Eugene Aromi, a University of South Alabama education professor who set out in the late 1960s simply to help the azaleas in his Mobile front yard survive the Gulf Coast's brutal heat and humidity. What began as a backyard experiment grew into one of the great American breeding programs. From 1971 onward Aromi crossed cold-hardy Exbury and Knap Hill azaleas with tough southern native species, chief among them the Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, chasing large, fragrant, heat-proof deciduous flowers. He made more than a thousand crosses and raised over fifty thousand seedlings before his death in 2004, and roughly a hundred of the best were named. This is counted among them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA deciduous azalea rather than the evergreen sort, 'Great Balls of Fire' erupts in spring with rounded trusses of two-inch blooms in tones that run from molten orange to deep, glowing tangerine, each flaring flower carrying a slim red tube and long, arching stamens that give the whole cluster a fiery, honeysuckle-like poise. A soft sweetness rides the air around the shrub, and the color reads from clear across the garden. The genus name Rhododendron comes from the Greek for rose tree, while azalea traces to azaleos, meaning dry, an old reference to the open ground where some kinds were found; neither name prepares a visitor for how incandescent these flowers can be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe name is pure showmanship. Christened for Jerry Lee Lewis's 1957 barn-burner \"Great Balls of Fire,\" the shrub practically demands a soundtrack, and we stand by the original advice to blast the song through the speakers while you coronate this beauty in the ground. Difficult to propagate and slow to bulk up, the plant reaches very few nurseries, which makes each one something of a collector's prize. A word of caution familiar to every azalea grower: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar carry grayanotoxins and should never be eaten by people or pets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive 'Great Balls of Fire' the classic deciduous-azalea situation, dappled light or morning sun with shelter from the hottest afternoon, in moist, sharply drained, acidic soil enriched with pine bark or leaf mold. Standing four to six feet tall and nearly as wide with an open, informal frame, the shrub shines at the woodland edge, among high-branched pines and oaks, or threaded through a naturalistic border where the spring fireworks can blaze against fresh green. Underplant with ferns, native phlox, or foamflower, and site the shrub where low morning light can set the trusses aglow. Photo courtesy of Merri Oxley.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42127455092851,"sku":"RHOD-GREA-BALL-OF-01G","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/AromiGreatBallsofFire2.jpg?v=1722603161"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-sunrise","title":"Rhododendron 'Sunrise'","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Aromi Sunrise' is a deciduous azalea from the storied breeding program of Dr. Eugene Aromi, the University of South Alabama professor who spent decades teaching heat-shy azaleas to flourish along the Gulf Coast. Introduced in 1987, this hybrid marries the bold Knap Hill azalea 'Hiawatha' with the native Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, so the plant inherits both the size and clarity of the English strains and the toughness and fragrance of a southern wildflower. The result is exactly what Aromi chased across more than a thousand crosses: a large-flowered, sweet-scented, heat-tolerant azalea for gardens where the classic mountain sorts fail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn mid spring the shrub comes alive with a glowing display. Tubular, funnel-shaped flowers open two inches across, their brilliant yellow petals lit by a vivid orange-yellow blotch and finished with gently wavy edges that catch the light. As many as fourteen blooms crowd each flat truss, and a soft fragrance drifts from them that draws in bees, butterflies, and passing gardeners alike. Elliptic, olive-green leaves follow, softly downy beneath, giving the plant a quiet presence through summer before autumn closes the season.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe name reads like the flower looks. That first flush of yellow shot with orange has the quality of daybreak, and 'Aromi Sunrise' honors both the breeder and the moment. The genus name Rhododendron is Greek for rose tree, while azalea comes from azaleos, meaning dry, an old reference to the open, well-drained woods where native species grow. Those same native azaleas have scented Southern springs for generations, though country lore has always known to admire and not to taste: like all Rhododendron, the leaves and nectar hold grayanotoxins and are not edible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Aromi Sunrise' belongs at the woodland edge, in a dappled border, or among high pines where morning sun can ignite the trusses and afternoon shade can spare the foliage. Reaching perhaps four to six feet with an informal, softly spreading frame, the shrub layers beautifully with ferns, native phlox, foamflower, and other deciduous azaleas timed to extend the bloom. Plant in moist, acidic, well-drained soil, mulch the shallow roots, and give the plant room to be seen when the flowers open. Photos courtesy of Mike Creech and Bob Stelloh.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42935907942515,"sku":"RHOD-SUNR-01G","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/AromiSunriseWoodlanders2.jpg?v=1742930490"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-pure-yellow","title":"Rhododendron austrinum (Pure Yellow)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a rare and radiant selection of the Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, chosen for flowers of pure, clear yellow. Where the species usually runs to golden-orange, this form holds a clean, buttery, luminous yellow, a color that lights up the spring woodland like sunshine slipping through the canopy. For gardeners and collectors who love the native azaleas, a truly pure-yellow austrinum is an uncommon prize.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNative to the sandy pinewoods of the Deep South, the Florida azalea is famous for early bloom, sweet fragrance, and pollinator appeal, and this yellow form carries all three. In early spring, dense upright clusters of tubular, canary-yellow flowers open with gracefully arching stamens and a sweet perfume, drawing in hummingbirds, butterflies, and the first native bees. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek, while the species name austrinum means southern.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe pure-yellow selection offers a clean, bright note that plays beautifully against the oranges and corals of other native azaleas, or holds the eye entirely on its own. Like all of the wild azaleas, the shrub is grown for flower and fragrance and never for eating: every Rhododendron carries grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar, and none should be tasted by people or pets. The flowers are strictly for the eye, the nose, and the pollinators.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBest planted in dappled shade with moist, acidic, well-draining soil, this Florida azalea is a reliable performer for understory plantings and woodland borders, reaching a mature range of roughly four to ten feet depending on siting and age. Give a cool, mulched root run and morning sun with afternoon shade for the fullest, cleanest color, and combine the shrub with ferns, native phlox, and other native azaleas timed to open in sequence. A collector's gem and a pollinator magnet, this pure-yellow form is an instant woodland classic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42956560793715,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-PURE-YELL-01G","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/RhododendronPureYellowWoodlanders-7.jpg?v=1750636766"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-don-s-variegated","title":"Rhododendron austrinum ‘Don’s Variegated’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e 'Don's Variegated' is a rare variegated form of the native Florida azalea, carrying the wild flame azalea of the Gulf states but brushed with a fine tracing of gold along each leaf edge. The selection was discovered by Don Jacobs, the noted Georgia plantsman behind Eco-Gardens in Decatur, who found among seedlings of \u003cem\u003eR. austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e a plant whose foliage held light even before the flowers arrived. Variegation is uncommon in the native azaleas, which makes this a genuine collector's plant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the flowers come, in April, the shrub is set ablaze. Trumpets of fragrant golden-orange, kissed with apricot and flame, open in loose clusters at the branch tips, often before the leaves have fully unfurled. The petals flare and curl back while long, graceful stamens reach outward and catch the light, and a soft, spicy-sweet fragrance, something of citrus peel and rain-washed woodland, drifts from the blooms. The variegated foliage that follows keeps a subtle, ghostlike presence through the summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor all the drama of the flowers, this azalea carries the quiet heritage of native ecology, feeding hummingbirds, butterflies, and the first bees of spring. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek, and azalea comes from azaleos, meaning dry, a nod to the airy, well-drained woods where the species grows. As with every azalea, the plant belongs to the eye and the nose and never the table: all Rhododendron carry grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant 'Don's Variegated' in the dappled shade of native pines or hardwoods, in acidic, well-drained soil enriched with leaf mold or pine bark, where the variegated leaves can glow without scorching in hot sun. Reaching six to ten feet in time, the shrub reads best as a specimen or in a woodland border where both flower and foliage can be admired at close range. Pair with ferns, native phlox, and other native azaleas, and give a cool mulch and shelter from harsh afternoon light to keep the variegation clean. Photos courtesy of Bill Tanneberger and Tidewater Gardener.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":43218471944307,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-DONS-VARI-01G","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3 Gallon","offer_id":43218471977075,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-DONS-VARI-03G","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/RhodDonsVariegatedTidewaterGardenerWoodlanders2.png?v=1753479745"},{"product_id":"rhododendron-austrinum-millie-mac","title":"Rhododendron austrinum ‘Millie Mac’","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Millie Mac' is a wild-selected native azalea from the damp hollows of Escambia County, Alabama, where Floyd McConnell found this plant as a distinctive limb sport on a wild shrub and propagated it for a beauty all its own. Related to the Florida azalea, \u003cem\u003eRhododendron austrinum\u003c\/em\u003e, the selection shows white-margined flowers that hint at a touch of \u003cem\u003eR. canescens\u003c\/em\u003e in the background, and the lineage remains a matter of pleasant debate among native-azalea growers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flowers are the marvel. Deep orange-red buds open in early spring, before the leaves, into clear yellow blooms crisply trimmed in white, as if a quiet halo had been drawn around each petal's edge. Held in clusters on bare branches like small lanterns in the cooling woods, the blossoms carry a sweet, honeysuckle fragrance that drifts through the early garden. Few native azaleas offer so unusual a two-toned, white-edged flower.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBehind the novelty stands the deep heritage of the Southern wild azaleas, the bush honeysuckles grown for generations for scent and spring color rather than any use in the kitchen. The genus name Rhododendron means rose tree in Greek, and azalea comes from azaleos, meaning dry. As with every azalea, the shrub is for the eye and the nose alone: all Rhododendron carry grayanotoxins in leaf and nectar and should not be eaten by people or pets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHardy from the mid-Atlantic through the Deep South, roughly USDA zones 5 to 9, 'Millie Mac' takes both northern cold and southern heat, settling happily into dappled shade and well-drained, humus-rich soil. Medium-green summer leaves turn a rich red in autumn, adding a late chapter after most native azaleas have faded. Reaching six to ten feet, the shrub belongs in a woodland or native garden where the white-edged spring flowers and fall color can be admired up close. Pair with ferns, native phlox, and other native azaleas. Photos courtesy of In Defense of Plants.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":43218475155571,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-MILL-MAC-01G","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3 Gallon","offer_id":43218475188339,"sku":"RHOD-AUST-MILL-MAC-03G","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/RhodMillieMacInDefenseofPlantsWoodlanders2.jpg?v=1753480499"}],"url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/collections\/azaleas-rhododendrons.oembed?page=2","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}