(Antoon van Welie Rhododendron, Endtz & Co Hybrid Rhododendron, Rhododendron)

An old Endtz & Co. introduction still valued for its arresting flowers and handsome foliage, this rhododendron hybrid bears showy domed clusters of rich pink flowers from mid- to late spring. The wide-flaring, funnel-shaped blooms have a red-speckled upper lobes. This large upright shrub has waxy blue-tinged leaves.

L. J. Endtz of Boskoop, Holland, developed a number of rhododendron hybrids in the early twentieth century that are still widely planted today. Like most rhododendrons, they favor...

(Appleblossom Evergreen Azalea, Evergreen Azalea, Ho-o Evergreen Azalea, Kurume Hybrid Azalea)

Elegant pale pink, white-throated flowers cover this compact upright evergreen azalea in mid-spring. The unscented, broadly funnel-shaped blooms of 'Appleblossom' have deep pink freckles on their upper lobes. The oval leaves are a shiny apple-green.

The Kurume Hybrids result from some 300 years of hybridizing in Japan. Their ancestry likely includes Rhododendron kaempferi, R. kiusianum, and other Japanese species and hybrids. This cultivar is one of the original...

(Apricot Surprise Azalea, Deciduous Azalea)

Rhododendron ‘Apricot Surprise’ is a late season blooming deciduous azalea. It is one of the Lights series developed by the University of Minnesota and is very cold-hardy. Its fragrant, small, abundant flowers are tubular-funnel-shaped and single. The color is brilliant yellow with vivid orange-yellow markings.

These azaleas have upright, rounded and open habits. The leaves are elliptical, olive green and exhibit showy fall color. Clusters of blooms emerge near the ends of the branches....

(Apricot Surprise Azalea, Deciduous Azalea)

Valued for their extreme hardiness and their colorful spring flowers, the Northern Lights Series is a group of hybrid deciduous azaleas developed by the University of Minnesota. The fragrant, apricot-orange, trumpet-shaped flowers of 'Apricot Surprise' appear in dense trusses from mid- to late spring. The petals are somewhat ruffled and curled at their margins. This compact rounded shrub has oval olive-green leaves that turn maroon in fall.

Plant this azalea in full to partial sun in acidic...

(April Rose Rhododendron, Rhododendron)

Valued for its early bloom, its exceptional cold-hardiness, and its handsome evergreen leaves, this hybrid rhododendron bears rounded trusses of luminous double purplish-red flowers in earliest spring. It has relatively small dark green leaves that turn bronzy-purple in fall. This upright chest-high shrub is closely related to the famed PJM Hybrids.

Like most rhododendrons, 'April Rose' prefers highly organic acid soil that is evenly moist but well-drained. It departs from the norm, however,...

(Smooth Azalea, Sweet Azalea)

Perfuming the air with the fragrance of heliotrope, sweet azalea's white to pale pink flowers lend a dainty, pretty look to woodland gardens. A deciduous shrub, it is native across the Appalachian piedmont of the eastern United States, from New York down to Alabama. Wild populations are most commonly found growing near stream banks or within bogs or swamp forests. Its smooth yellow-brown twigs and branches are dense and form an upright, rounded shrub.

The green, lustrous leaves of sweet azalea...

(Chalan, Rose Tree, Tree Rhododendron)

Among the world's largest growing and largest flowering rhodendrons, the chalan or rose tree has massive trusses of blooms in springtime. Native to the mountainous areas of southern Asia, this tall growing species is found across the Himalayas as well as in Sri Lanka and Burma's highlands. In fact, this is the national flower of Nepal. There are over three natural varieties, varying in leaf characteristics, flower color and hardiness to cold. For example, red-flowering varieties are found in lower...

(Arctic Glow Azalea, Carolina Azalea)

Valued for its showy early bloom, its cold-hardiness, and its handsome evergreen leaves, this hybrid rhododendron bears rounded trusses of pale purple flowers in earliest spring. The flaring funnel-shape blooms fade to white at their centers. This chest-high shrub has medium-sized elliptic dark green leaves that turn bronzy-purple in fall. It is closely allied to the PJM Hybrids.

Like most rhododendrons, 'Arctic Glow' prefers highly organic acid soil that is evenly moist but well-drained....

(Ardent Beau Azalea, Azalea)

The enormous genus Rhododendron comprises more than a thousand species. They are naturally distributed on every continent except Antarctica, Africa and South America. The highest concentrations of species occur in the temperate and mountainous regions of China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Grown for their showy flowers, rhododendrons are garden favorites worldwide and have been highly hybridized. There are more than 28,000 registered cultivars.

Plants in this genus are extremely variable...

(Arneson Azalea, Arneson Gem Azalea, Deciduous Azalea)

Rhododendron 'Arneson Gem' is a early spring blooming deciduous azalea. Its large flowers are widely funnel-shaped, brilliant yellow in the throat, shading to reddish-orange at margins and red on the outside of the petals. The plants are compact and upright.

The deciduous Arneson azaleas were developed by Ivan and Robertha Arneson of Portland, Oregon in the late 1950s. The complex hybrids were bred with species from the United States and Japan. They are noted for spectacular late winter...