Take Another Look at Azaleas

Think azalea bushes are out of the garden’s reach in your hardiness zone? Look again.

azaleas at the Master's Golf Course

Source:Bigstock



Azaleas are Augusta National Golf Course’s most famous plantings. When the beautiful shrubs were originally planned for the course, around 1932, azalea facts looked like this: a one-time profusion of spring blooms for two to three glorious weeks in subtropical areas.

The quest for the perfect azalea bush has been the focus of experts since the 1940s. Thoroughly studied, exhaustively tested, and by accelerating natural processes, azaleas today are irresistibly easy to grow, the bushes can live for decades, and the flowers are big with true, pure colors. Proven Winners PERFECTO MUNDO® azalea bushes are grown as perennials further north than ever before (to Zone 6b), have a smaller, mounded habit perfect for containers, even more disease resistance, and, after spring’s garden show of azalea blooms, these rebloom from summer into fall with nuggets or waves of color depending on whether you plant them singly or in mass.

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Get to Know the New Azalea

… have you heard … azaleas are finicky? Not anymore.

  • Why? Azlaeas are carefree and low-maintenance and now feature repeating waves of blooms over the season and no need to deadhead to achieve this reblooming. We do recommend that you prune after spring’s blooms fade to achieve the ultimate flower show in summer and fall.
  • How? PERFECTO MUNDO® azalea is guaranteed to rebloom, has improved lace bug resistance, and is self-cleaning.

… have you heard … you can’t grow azaleas outside of the southern and coastal states? No problem for these new azalea bushes.

  • Why? Repeat blooming, PERFECTO MUNDO® azaleas have improved hardiness for perennial gardens, growing in Zones 6B to 9. Great news for some of you in DC, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Check for your Zone here https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ to see the segments (which represent 5 degrees of temperature difference).
  • How? Only the best from Wayside Gardens, bred by Proven Winners Bloom-A-Thon™ growers, look for PERFECTO MUNDO®’s superlative cold hardiness.

… have you heard … azaleas are too big to grow on the patio and in small spaces? No longer the case.

  • Why? Compact and mound-shaped with large flowers, some double petaled, in shades of pink or white for landscape and patio.
  • How? PERFECTO MUNDO®, from the same growers as the popular Bloom-A-Thon™, is slightly more compact in height and includes different sizes.

… have you heard … I plant only shrubs with many seasons of interest? These azaleas have that.

  • Why? Blooms in spring and again in midsummer until frost for months of flower power! Evergreen varieties keep their foliage in winter too.
  • How? PERFECTO MUNDO® azalea blooms on old wood in spring, and later, after a brief rest, it blooms on new wood in midsummer, continuing until frost. A light pruning after the spring bloom will encourage new growth and new blooms.

… have you heard … I can’t find the Bloom-A-Thon™ azalea? Don’t fret, this one is even better.

  • Why? Accelerating the natural evolution of azalea and combining the most desirable characteristics of varieties, Wayside Gardens is proud to offer the best performing azalea bush on the market.
  • How? New to the market, and after a minimum of four years of research and development, Proven Winners Spring Meadows debuts its PERFECTO MUNDO® azalea as it phases out Bloom-A-Thon™.

And, if you have caught sight of Augusta National’s azalea bushes and their mass eruption of flowers during the Master’s Golf Tournament, you’ll understand the reason for the decades of dedicated research and ongoing development that now bring repeat blooming azaleas to more American gardeners than ever before. Thank you, Proven Winners.

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Find your USDA Hardiness Zone

AZALEA CARE (PERFECTO MUNDO®)

pink azalea flowers

USDA Hardiness Zones: 6b – 9 (-5 F / -20.5 C)

  • Exposure: Full Sun (6+ hrs/day), Part Sun (4-6 hrs/day)
  • Size: 2’ – 3’ H, 2’ – 3’ W
  • Maintenance Category: Easy
  • Plant Type: Shrub
  • Shrub Type: Evergreen
  • Height Category: Short
  • Garden Height: 24 - 36 Inches
  • Spacing: 24 - 36 Inches
  • Spread: 24 - 36 Inches
  • Blooms On: New Wood, Old Wood
  • Bloom Time: Spring (prune after spring blooming completes), Midsummer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Mid Fall
  • Soil PH Category: Acidic Soil
  • Uses: Border Plant, Edging Plant, Landscape, Mass Planting, Specimen, or Focal Point


azalea and rhododnedron differences

Source: Google User Content



Azalea is identified as a sub species of Rhododendron.

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Proven Winners meticulously develops vibrant flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs that deliver the most beautiful garden performance. What began as a garden plant research brand on the quest for the best performing plants, is now the #1 plant brand. The Proven Winners PERFECTO MUNDO® azalea, bred by Dr. Thomas Ranney Professor of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University Extension, is yet another dynamic, garden-changing development for Proven Winners. Due to its superior characteristics, PERFECTO MUNDO® azalea will begin to replace the Bloom-A-Thon™ series beginning in Spring 2022.

Wayside Gardens purveys only the best perennials, trees, and shrubs for the American home gardener. Our team of horticulture experts exhaustively research and selectively evaluate growers and plant quality to bring you the hardiest and best performing varieties. Your success in the garden and enjoyment of the outdoor spaces you create is our mission.