Azalea schlippenbachii
royal azalea
A deciduous, rounded shrub to 5m tall; leaf whorls, at the branch tips, with purplish-red young leaves, become dark green above and paler beneath through the season, culminating with yellow, orange and crimson in autumn. Pale to mid pink or white flowers appear just before, or with the leaves, in late spring. They are spotted on the upper lobes with dark pink and sometimes lightly-scented
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Size
Ultimate height
4–8 metresTime to ultimate height
10–20 yearsUltimate spread
4–8 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
AcidColour & scent
Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
Spring | Pink White | Red Green | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer | Green | |||
Autumn | Orange Yellow Red Green | |||
Winter |
Position
- Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H6Botanical details
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Potentially harmful
- Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises) Harmful if eaten - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
- Genus
Rhododendron can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs or trees, with simple leaves, sometimes with a dense colourful indumentum of hairs on the lower side, and funnel-shaped, bell-shaped or tubular flowers that may be solitary or in short racemes
- Name status
Correct
- Horticultural Group
- Azaleas can be deciduous or evergreen, with mostly small, frequently fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers in spring or early summer; deciduous azaleas often have good autumn colour
- Plant range
- Far East
How to grow
Cultivation
Suitable for an open site but best grown in moist but well-drained, leafy, humus-rich acid soil in part shade with shelter and protection from late frosts; see rhododendron cultivation
Propagation
Propagate by seed when ripe, or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, layering in autumn or grafting in late summer or late winter
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Low Maintenance
- Banks and slopes
- Hedging and screens
- Flower borders and beds
Pruning
Pruning group 1 (little or no pruning of trees and shrubs)
Pests
May be susceptible to vine weevil, rhododendron and azalea whitefly, rhododendron leafhopper, pieris lacebug, scale insects, caterpillars and aphids
Diseases
May be susceptible to various Rhododendron diseases including powdery mildews, rhododendron petal blight, rhododendron bud blast, silver leaf and honey fungus
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