Rhododendron Species

I purchased Rhododendron oldhamii from a mail order nursery in South Carolina last year and planted it in the shade of a live oak tree in...Read More my zone 9a garden in north Florida. It showed no damage from a 21 degree winter low, flowered in April and doubled its size in a year. I watered it regularly by hand for a few months and then left it to fend for itself over a summer of near-average rainfall.

Rhododendron oldhamii is a rare Taiwanese azalea that booms in summer. It was crossed with the traditional spring bloomers in the 1980s ...Read Moreto produce the The Encore azaleas that repeat their bloom cycle well into the summer and fall.

I don't know of anyone growing Encore azaleas in Florida because of the summer heat and humidity. Have not seen it in nurseries, either. Would love to try them.