Azalea 'Golden Lights'

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.