Azalea Bollywood®

At just two feet tall, the Bollywood™ Azalea rhododendron is as brilliantly colored as the name suggests. The dark green foliage with silver accents contrasts beautifully with the neon-colored magenta blooms. This ultra-compact plant is perfect for planting in partially shaded borders, along pathways and against foundations.

This shrub, created by Mike Farrow of Maryland, stands only 36 inches high, and 24 inches in width is the spread you can expect. The leaves of this adorable rhododendron are semievergreen and very eye-catching, lending appeal to the plant even when the flowers aren't blooming.

In late spring, the first blooms appear. The flowers continue well into summer, smothering the azalea in a blanket of brilliant color. Additionally, this plant is noted for its ability to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The Bollywood™ Azalea is disease resistant, pest resistant and heat tolerant.

Because azaleas are shallow rooted, you should be careful not to cultivate the plant. Instead, consider mulching with leaf mold or pine needles. This covering will discourage the growth of weeds while at the same time protecting the roots of the plant.

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.

• Butterflies like a lot of sunlight, so locate your garden in a sunny area.
• If you live in a windy location, plant your butterfly-attracting plants near a building, fence, or hedge to protect them.
• Plant a variety of nectar-rich plants, as well as shrubs and evergreens for shelter.
• Since many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved, try to put in some that are native to your area. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center provides lists of plants native to states and regions.
• Certain colors are particularly attracting to butterflies – red, yellow, pink, purple, or orange blooms that are clustered or flat-topped, with a short flower tubes are especially attractive to adult butterflies.
• Avoid using pesticides, especially around nectar-producing plants.
• Provide a shallow source of water – try a birdbath with pebbles lining the bowl.
• Place a rock in a sunny spot for butterfly basking and resting.
• Create a "puddling area" by digging a shallow hole filled with compost or manure where rainwater will collect and release essential salts and minerals.
• If you want butterflies to breed in your garden, put in some caterpillar food plants, such as parsley, milkweeds, asters, thistles, violets, clover, grasses, and Queen Anne’s Lace.
• Since butterflies need nectar throughout the entire adult phase of their lives, try to create a design that will allow for a continuous bloom – when one stops blooming, another starts.

Azaleas
Azaleas

Planting:

Azaleas prefer a soil of high organic content, markedly on the acid side, ideally with a pH range of 4.5 to 6. If necessary, soil sulfur or aluminum sulfate should be added to acidify neutral or alkaline soils. Ample quantities of leaf mold, well-decomposed compost or peat moss, which will help make it acidic, should be incorporated into the soil prior to planting. Set plants out in a shaded or partially shaded location (the more shade the further south you are), in a location protected against drying winds. Soil should be moisture-retentive but well-drained.

Spacing is determined by the ultimate size of the plants chosen and by the rapidity with which you wish to achieve landscape effect – in general 3 to 5 feet apart is proper. Of paramount importance is the depth to which Azaleas should be planted – never set the plants with the top of the root ball any deeper than the surrounding soil level!

Maintenance:

Because they are shallow rooted, Azaleas should not be cultivated. Instead, use a mulch of for example pine needles or leaf mold. This will hold moisture and discourage weeds. In poor soils, or to enhance slow-decaying mulch, add a special azalea fertilizer in spring before new growth appears. Water deeply once a week when there is little or no rainfall. Prune after flowering only as necessary to remove dead or unwanted branches; pinching the tips of new shoots will encourage bushiness.

Zones:

Zones various

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