Native Azaleas
Native azaleas aren’t as showy as the azaleas from Asia that most gardeners are familiar with. Today I’m at Under the Oak Nursery in Lucedale looking at examples of early spring flowering native azaleas. All native azaleas are deciduous and are in the genus Rhododendron. There are 15 species of native azaleas with bloom times starting in late March and continuing through the summer. We have two typical early blooming azaleas native to Mississippi. Rhododendron canescens, or piedmont azalea, has flowers ranging from white to pink. The other native azalea is Rhododendron austrinum, or Florida flame azalea, which has flowers ranging from yellow to fiery orange. These two species bloom on nearly naked stems in the spring. The floral buds swell before opening. This bud is a combination of flowers and foliage. The flowers can be up to 1 ½ inches across, but it is the way the stamens and pistil extend out of the flower that I find most attractive. Native azaleas grown in containers must be removed carefully. Thoroughly soak the container before removing. The root system is very fine and can stick to the inside of the container. However, never attempt to break up or slice the root ball, as this could cause your plant to decline. It’s best to plant in a location that has filtered sunlight as native azaleas evolved along the edges of woodlands. Planting native in the correct location will go along way to ensuring early spring flowering in your landscape or garden. I’m Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.