Northern Lights azalea

Questions about Northern Lights azalea

Does Northern Lights azalea need sun or shade?

Northern Lights azalea grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), 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 Northern Lights azalea grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does Northern Lights azalea flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

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 Northern Lights 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 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many Northern Lights 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 Northern Lights 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 Northern Lights azalea?

These come closest to doing what Northern Lights azalea does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Black chokeberry: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not pink, wants average soil.
• Camellia 'April Blush': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late March to early May, keeps its leaves in winter.
• Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to mid May, 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 Northern Lights azalea?

Northern Lights azalea is over by early June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
• Foxglove: from early June to mid July, 4 ft tall.
• Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does Northern Lights azalea look like in winter?

Northern Lights azalea drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.