(Leach Hybrid Rhododendron)

Many outstanding hardy evergreen rhododendron hybrids originated from the breeding program of David Leach of North Madison, Ohio, Their leathery, oblong foliage creates a lovely background for the large clusters of bell shaped flowers which bloom in spring. The pink, white, violet, red, or yellow flowers often have a contrasting blotch. Leach rhododendrons prefers partial sun and well-drained, acid, humus-rich soil, and work well as specimen plants or in a foundation or woodland plantings.

(Lee Hybrid Rhododendron)

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...

(Lee Hybrid Rhododendron, Lee's Dark Purple Rhododendron, Rhododendron)

More than 150 years old and still widely planted, this very cold-hardy Rhododendron catawbiense hybrid bears spherical clusters of plum-violet flowers from mid- to late spring. The wide-flaring, funnel-shaped blooms have brown-flecked upper lobes. This dense, rounded, head-high shrub has large glossy dark-green leaves.

Like most rhododendrons, 'Lee's Dark Purple' favors chilly winters, moderate summers, partial shade, and highly organic, well-drained, acid soil. It departs from the...

(Deciduous Azalea, Lemon Lights Azalea)

The hardiest of the deciduous azaleas, the Northern Lights Series is a group of hybrids developed by the University of Minnesota. The slightly fragrant, lemon-yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers of 'Lemon Lights' 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 humus-rich soil. Excellent drainage is required....

(Rhododendron)

Dwarf in habit, Rhododendron leucaspis is delightful in spring with ruffled white flowers with hints of pink. This small broadleaf evergreen plant is native to the highlands and cliffs of southeastern Tibet, sometimes even growing as an epiphyte, clasping onto a tree trunk in moist conditions. It attains a low, spreading to somewhat scraggly shape at maturity.

The oval leaves on this species are dark green and have tiny hairs or bristles. In mid-spring pairs of reddish tan flower buds...

(Evergreen Azalea)

A Belgian Indica hybrid, this evergreen azalea bears showy clusters of large bright red blooms. The funnel shaped, scentless flowers appear from early to mid-spring, but may also bloom in late fall and winter in frost-free districts. The upright, waist-high plants have elliptical, dark glossy-green leaves.

Primarily derived from the East Indian species Rhododendron simsii, Rhododendron indicum, and Rhododendron murconatum, Belgian Indica Hybrid azaleas were originally...

(Evergreen Azalea, Lily Marleen Azalea)

Developed from the 1920s to the 1960s by Aart Vuyk of Vuyk van Nes Nursery, Boskoop, Holland, these evergreen azaleas include Kaempferi and Belgian Indica hybrids, 'Mucronatum,' and 'Maxwellii' in their ancestry. They bear clusters of funnel-shaped red, pink, orange, purple, or white flowers on small to medium-sized plants in spring. The funnel-shaped, often ruffled flowers are single or hose-in-hose (with two superimposed sets of petals). The blooms often have contrasting markings on their upper...

(Narrow-leaved Azalea, Spider Azalea)

Congratulate yourself if you can identify this plant as an azalea when you encounter it! This rare semi-evergreen shrub from Japan has narrow, finely-textured leaves and fuchsia flowers that look like spiders, or like that of beebalm. In fact, you may first think the spider azalea is a dwarf Japanese maple with rosy brown twigs.

Slow growing and becomeing a rounded small plant with tiered branches, spider azalea's foliage is narrow and light to medium green with little hairs. In mid-spring and...

(Linwood Hardy Rhododendron)

This diverse group of dwarf evergreen azaleas was developed by G. Albert Reed and Dr. Charles Fischer, Jr., of Linwood, New Jersey. Intended for both greenhouse and garden use, Linwood azaleas include Kurume, Kaempferi, and other hybrid groups in their lineage. Their broadly funnel-shaped blooms are red, orange, yellow, purple, pink, or white, often with a contrasting blotch. Most are double or semi-double and hose-in-hose (with "stacked" whorls of petals). The dense, typically dwarf plants have...

(Catawba Rhododendron, Catawba Rosebay, Lord Roberts Rhododendron)

Lord Roberts rhododendron has large, showy clusters (trusses) of broad, open, bell-shaped flowers of dark red with black markings. This medium-sized, dense, broadleaf evergreen shrub has large, glossy, dark green leaves that can suffer from sun and wind damage if left too exposed in the winter months. Most rhododendron thrive in sites with part shade and moist, acidic, highly organic soil that is perfectly drained. They are susceptible to a wide variety of fungal diseases and insect pests and will...