Known as “Royalty of the Garden”, Azaleas come in thousands of varieties, each beautiful. Classified as a “species” or “hybrid”, Azaleas are also a very popular type of flowering bush. You will discover a wide selection of colors that include red, pink, orange, purple, white, and yellow, depending on the type of Azalea you purchase. What makes the Azalea so unique is the bloom, which varies dramatically on the different varieties, some one-half inch, some five inches.

The number of petals also depends on the type of Azalea. Single flowers typically have five petals although on rare occasion, you might see six. Hose-in-hose flowers can have up to 12 petals while a double hose-in-hose may have 30 or more. Additionally, Azaleas boast different shaped petals, again, depending on variety. The height of this bush ranges from just under one foot to four feet although there are varieties that grow well over 15 feet tall.

Azaleas generally bloom in the spring while some will bloom as late as September but only lasting one to two weeks. Most Azaleas do best with a high degree of shade, preferring slightly acid soil. You also want to keep moisture around the base of the bush, which can be done by using pine bark, wood chips, or pine needles. The most important aspect of growing Azaleas is good drainage. The best solution is to plant the bush so the root ball is exposed above ground by a few inches with the mulching pushed up around it for protection. He balance is that Azaleas also love moist soil at the roots.