Glad you asked!
We received a great question from a shopper a few days ago. He asked: "What exactly is meant by "native azalea"?
Here's our answer!
or us, "native" refers to deciduous azaleas indigenous to North America. This term also applies to naturally occurring hybrids and "selections" which are curated crosses and hybrids of native azaleas. Many of these have been established by prominent figures in the field. Earl Sommerville, Kelly Strickland, and Robert Greenleaf collections on our website refer to these. Native azaleas propagated by seed may cross with any plant flowering in the vicinity at the same time, so there will be natural variations in flower color and characteristics. The plants we sell from Collections are tissue cultured to preserve characteristics. We do carry most of the straight natives (with exceptions being west coast and New England plants that generally won't thrive in our zone).
Some of the more popular species we carry are:
Some popular species of native azaleas in North America include:
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Rhododendron canescens (Piedmont Azalea)
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Rhododendron periclymenoides (Pinxterbloom Azalea)
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Rhododendron arborescens (Smooth Azalea)
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Rhododendron calendulaceum (Flame Azalea) - This is the featured azalea in the picture associated with this post.
I hope that helps! When it comes to North American azaleas, there are a lot of passionate opinions and lively debate. It's part of the allure and joy of growing these delightful plants.