Evergreen azalea
Rhododendron (Kurume hybrids) · Ericaceae Popular
Dense, small-leaved evergreen azaleas that disappear under their flowers in spring, in pink, red, white or purple. The classic azalea of southern and Japanese gardens.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around evergreen azalea
The planner designed this bed around evergreen azalea when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why evergreen azalea stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Evergreen azalea × 1, pink
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 8, white
- 3 Leadwort × 11, blue
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Bee balm 'Raspberry Wine' × 3, red
- 6 Golden ragwort × 21, yellow
- 7 Asiatic lily × 4, orange
- 8 Snowdrop × 3, white
- 9 Easter lily × 5, white
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only pink.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to mid May.
- In company. With golden ragwort in mid April: 2 kinds at once.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by evergreen azalea and white mugwort, the tallest plants on the plan. The front edge is finished with bloody cranesbill and leadwort.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where evergreen azalea goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Plant in drifts of a single colour, and let white separate the pinks from the reds. Their fine texture and layered habit are good all year. They need acid soil and shallow planting.
- Massed spring colour in part shade
- Foundation planting in acid soil
- Japanese-style gardens
What to plant with evergreen azalea
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lilyturf: carries the spot on into mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Rhododendron 'PJM' vs Evergreen azalea.
Questions about evergreen azalea
Does evergreen azalea need sun or shade?
Evergreen azalea grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does evergreen azalea grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does evergreen azalea flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 9 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should evergreen azalea be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many evergreen azalea plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is evergreen azalea poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, including the nectar, are highly poisonous if eaten and can affect the heart.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like evergreen azalea?
These come closest to doing what evergreen azalea does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Camellia 'April Blush': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in taller, flowers late March to early May.
- Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 12 in taller, white, not pink.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after evergreen azalea?
Evergreen azalea is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall.
- Siberian iris: from late May to late June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Blue false indigo: from late May to mid June, 4 ft tall.
What does evergreen azalea look like in winter?
Evergreen azalea keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Rhododendron
- Azalea 'Delaware Valley White' Rhododendron 'Delaware Valley White'
- Azalea 'Hino-Crimson' Rhododendron 'Hino-Crimson'
- Catawba rhododendron Rhododendron catawbiense
- Flame azalea Rhododendron calendulaceum
- Korean rhododendron 'Cornell Pink' Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Cornell Pink'
- Northern Lights azalea Rhododendron (Northern Lights Group)
- Pinxterbloom azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides
- Reblooming azalea Rhododendron (Encore Group)
- Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'
- Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla' Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla'
- Rhododendron 'Olga Mezitt' Rhododendron 'Olga Mezitt'
- Rhododendron 'PJM' Rhododendron 'PJM'
- Rhododendron 'Purple Gem' Rhododendron 'Purple Gem'
- Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans' Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans'
- Rosebay rhododendron Rhododendron maximum
- Royal azalea Rhododendron schlippenbachii
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum
- Yak rhododendron Rhododendron yakushimanum
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May; dense clusters; pink, red, white, purple
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ericaceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.