{"product_id":"rhododendron-flammeum-chinchulla","title":"Rhododendron flammeum 'Chinchulla'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Oconee azalea is the native azalea of our own ground. \u003cem\u003eRhododendron flammeum\u003c\/em\u003e grows wild in a narrow band of the Piedmont from the Savannah River west across middle Georgia, on dry wooded slopes and the bluffs above creeks, and nowhere else on earth. William Bartram passed through this country in 1773 and wrote of hillsides \"flaming\" with azaleas in a dozen shades from yellow through orange to crimson, and the name that stuck, \u003cem\u003eflammeum\u003c\/em\u003e, is the Latin for exactly that. Of all the Southern natives this is the one that takes the most heat and the driest ground, and the one whose flowers vary most from plant to plant, which is why the serious growers have always walked the Oconee hills in April with flagging tape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Chinchulla' is a named selection of the Oconee azalea from Superior Trees in Lee, Florida, the native azalea growers who have introduced several \u003cem\u003eR. flammeum\u003c\/em\u003e forms over the years. [PLACEHOLDER: flower color and the story behind the name to confirm with Superior Trees.] Like every Oconee selection the plant flowers in April, after the Piedmont azalea and with the Alabama azalea, in rounded trusses of funnel-shaped blooms that open before the leaves have fully expanded. The species is not fragrant, and makes up for that with color and sheer density of bloom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExpect a well-branched, upright deciduous shrub of six to ten feet, stouter and more compact than the Piedmont azalea, with mid-green leaves that color orange and red in fall. The Oconee azalea wants what the Oconee hills give: sharp drainage, acidic soil, high shade from pines or hardwoods, and a tolerance for summer drought once the roots are down. Keep the crown high, mulch with pine straw, and water through the first year; after that the plant is among the toughest azaleas you can grow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlant 'Chinchulla' on a wooded bank or a raised bed where the April trusses catch low morning light, with \u003cem\u003eR. canescens\u003c\/em\u003e blooming ahead and \u003cem\u003eR. prunifolium\u003c\/em\u003e behind for three months of native azalea bloom. These 3 gallon plants are budded for spring and available for pickup at the nursery.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":66951522844787,"sku":"RHOD-FLAM-CHIN-01G","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3 Gallon","offer_id":66951522910323,"sku":"RHOD-FLAM-CHIN-03G","price":44.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/products\/rhododendron-flammeum-chinchulla","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}