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Azalea 'Golden Lights'
Very floriferous and supremely mildew resistant!
The flowers open from bright golden buds into orange blooms, each about an inch wide and held in huge clusters. It blooms a bit later than most Azaleas in spring, extending your Azalea show by a week or so. This shade of golden-orange is hard to find in Azaleas, and so lovely on big, well-proportioned shrubs 6 feet high and 5 feet wide.
But the flowers aren't the only merit of this fine shrub. Of all the Northern Lights cultivars, it is by far the most mildew resistant, making it a popular choice for sultry southern and midwestern climates. And its fall foliage -- a rich bronzy-red -- is simply gorgeous.
'Golden Lights' was introduced in 1986, and is a hybrid of an unidentified Azalea seedling with an Exbury Azalea seedling. It was developed by the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to be bone-hardy to temperatures of -30 degrees F. It is best grown just like any other Azalea -- planted shallowly in acidic soil well enriched with organic matter such as compost, manure, and peat moss, then mulched well to avoid disturbing its roots (which remain very near the surface), fertilized twice a year with an acidic mixture, and watered well throughout the growth period. Avoid exposed or windy sites, and keep root competition to a minimum. Space plants about 4 feet apart for a solid line of color. Zones 4-9.
| Genus | Rhododendron |
| Variety | 'Golden Lights' |
| Bloom Season | Late Spring |
| Habit | Upright |
| Zone | 4 - 9 |
| Plant Height | 5 ft - 6 ft |
| Plant Width | 5 ft |
| Bloom Size | 1 in |
| Item Form | Trade Gallon (3qt) |
| Additional Characteristics | Fall Color, Flower |
| Bloom Color | Orange |
| Foliage Color | Bronze, Red |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun, Part Shade |
| Resistance | Cold Hardy, Heat Tolerant, Powdery Mildew |
| Season Of Interest | Spring |
| Soil Tolerance | Normal, loamy |
| Uses | Border, Ornamental |
| Restrictions | CAN, HI, PR, WA |
Azaleas and Rhododendrons have been interbred since the first plants were scooped out of the dirt, and for a while these "crossbreeds" were even referred to by some ghastly name — Azaleodendrons or the like.
The old rule of thumb used to be that azaleas are deciduous and rhododendrons evergreen, but if that was ever true, it isn't anymore.
The differences between the two are slight, so slight in fact that botanists do not break them into the two groups that gardeners have come to know. Rhododendrons have 10 stamens per flower, while Azaleas have only five. While both can be deciduous, that trait is typically seen more in Azaleas than Rhododendrons. The shape of the leaves is often another indicator, with larger, paddle-shaped leaves typical of Rhododendrons, Azaleas often have smaller, elliptical leaves and trumpet, or tubular-shaped flowers at the ends of the shoots.
