Hi. Does anyone know of full size Azalea shrub that is an evergreen and blooms in coral? I did a search here on DG and found Autumn Coral but they only grow to 2.5 feet. Just wondering if there are any others out there? I'd like to line both sides of my yard so I can't afford anything exotic and expensive.
Thanks in advance!
Stephanie
Looking for a coral colored Azalea
Evergreen Azalea:
Kirin or Coral Bells
http://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionAH_new.asp?ID=155
Deciduous Azalea
Carlson's Coral Flameboyant
http://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionAH_new.asp?ID=155
Elepidote Rhododendrons:
Coral Mist (5 1/2" leaves)
http://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionH_new.asp?ID=1019
Coral Velvet (2 1/2" leaves)
http://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionH_new.asp?ID=1196
Naturally occruing Azalea hybrids from Gregory Bald
Located on the Tennessee - North Carolina border in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park near Cades Cove, this exposed mountaintop rises to an elevation of 4949 feet, and is home to some of the most extraordinary deciduous azaleas on earth.
http://www.macars.org/PlantSaleData/Deciduous/gregory.html
Wow, those Azaleas from the Smoky Mountains are beautiful! I was in that area for vacation this time last year. My husband and I took his father and step-mother and she just recently died from cancer so those memories are bitter sweet at this point.
Looks like the only evergreen option from your list would be the coral bells. I'll have to look into those. After further reading about Azaleas, I was reminded of the fact that they really don't do well in full sun. I don't think lining the sides of my yard would work. I guess we'll look into Hydrangeas instead.
In the meantime, I still want at least one Azalea bush and I'm sure I could find a nice partly shade spot for it. And if I only buy one, then I can afford something a little more exotic! Since looking at pictures, I'm finding that I'm actually really drawn to the bi-colored or multi-colored varieties. Canon's Double and Golden Flame are really beautiful. Who knows, I just might treat myself to something like that!
Try this and scroll down to orange. Evergreen Azaleas are never a pure orange or yellow. The price for 25 of the same is only $16.25
http://www.vanveennursery.com/azaleas.php
For more information go to
http://www.rhododendron.org
Do you think I'm right about not putting them in full sun?
Absolutely--even in cooler climates I don't think azaleas want full sun, and with your hot summers they will absolutely melt if you plant them in full sun. Same goes for hydrangeas which I noticed you mentioning as a possible substitution a couple posts ago. Both of them will do much better for you if you give them a little morning sun but then shade during the hottest part of the day. (Hydrangeas aren't evergreen either if that was one of your considerations)
Hmm. Then I definitely need to do some more research. Do you think there are any flowering shrubs that are evergreen and do well in full sun?
There are probably about a million! Try going to Plant Files, go to the advanced search, and put in your zone, full sun, evergreen, and shrub into the relevant fields, then pick what season you want blooms in, and at least for spring/summer you'll probably get so many results you won't know what to do with them (PF will only show you 100 results, and I'm sure there will be more than 100 matches, so if you want to see everything you can also go through and limit by size, flower color, etc
Wow. I guess I've been a bit overwhelmed by PlantFiles but I will give it a try. Thank you so much for taking the time to give your feedback. I see your name all over the message boards and I've learned a lot from your responses to other people. You are very generous with your time. :-)
Ok, your instructions helped me figure out how to use PlantFiles. It's much easier than I thought. *grins*
From my searching, it looks like Camellia's are just what I'm looking for. Which forums would be best for learning more about them? Would it be "Trees and Shrubs"?
Full sun Azaleas:
http://www.kesselsnursery.com/azalea.htm
There is also Rhododenron oldhamii and its hybrids, such as the Encores:
http://www.encoreazalea.com/encore/stat_collection.cfm
Well, now I'm confused. I just took a drive out to my local nursery and talked to a local expert. He said that Camellia's cannot take full sun but Azaleas can.
So now what do I do?
By the way, UUallace, it looks like most of the Azalea's listed on those pages are the kind that don't get over 2 or 3 feet. I'm looking for something that will grow to at least 5 or 6 feet. I saw one or two that grow taller but not in any of the colors I'm looking for. I want light pink, blush, light coral, etc. I also want evergreen since these will essentially be used as hedges between our yard and the neighbors.
I wouldn't put camellias or azaleas in full sun in your climate even if they supposedly can take it--many things can be in full sun in cooler climates but in a hot summer climate like yours you may find they want afternoon shade. But I don't live there so I can't really argue with someone who is in the area and has personal experience. I know here both Camellias and azaleas are usually found in the "shady shrubs" section of the nursery. You might try posting over on Trees & Shrubs, I know there are some people over there who live in your area and they can probably suggest a number of good shrubs that will enjoy full sun in your climate. I think there's also some sort of regional gardening forum that covers the south, you could try there too.
Ok, I'll do that. Thanks again for your help. :-)
Some of the Encores are 4 1/2 or 5 feet.
7 foot Azaleas:
http://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionAH_new.asp?ID=125
http://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionAH_new.asp?ID=18
Azalea search
http://www.rhododendron.org/search_multi_azalea.htm
Rhododendron search:
Some Lepidotes cannot be distinguished from Evergreen Azaleas without a jeweller's loupe. Lepidotes and Vireyas have tiny scales on the bottom of the leaf. Azaleas do not.
http://www.rhododendron.org/search_multi.htm
Rhododendron Species Foundation
http://www.rsf.citymax.com/f/2007SpringPlantDistributionWEBSITE.pdf
it looks like I need to know the name of some of the Encore azaleas to look them up. the size sounds perfect for me.