Rhododendron austrinum ‘Don’s Variegated’

Rhododendron austrinum '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 R. austrinum 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.

When 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.

For 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.

Plant '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.