Autumn Angel Encore Azalea
From PlantWiki
| Autumn Angel Encore Azalea |
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| Species |
| Azalea |
History
The history of the Encore Azalea started when avid plant breeder Robert Lee of Independence, Louisiana, began experimenting in his own garden in the early 1980s. He began cross pollinating traditional spring-blooming azaleas with a rare summer-blooming variety from Taiwan. After a 15-year hybridization and selection process, Encore Azaleas became commercially available in 1997. Presently there are numerous varieties, all evergreen.
Characteristics
One of the newest introductions into the Encore Azalea line is the Autumn Angel. This dense shrub grows 3’ tall and equally wide and has 3” pure white flowers that appear iridescent in the morning light. The combination of the stark white blooms and the glossy, deep green foliage makes this variety a wonderful addition to any garden. The Autumn Angel requires at least 4-6 hours of sun and well draining soil, is cold hardy, heat tolerant and will keep on blooming into the late fall.
Uses
The Autumn Angel Encore Azalea can be used in border or container plantings. It can also be incorporated into mass plantings with other Encore Azaleas. It has been known to attract butterflies to the homeowner’s garden. The Autumn Angel can also function as a specimen plant or focal point, frame for a focal point, setting around a tree or among groups of trees, or in foundation plantings. It can be placed in borders and beds, mulch islands, rock gardens, in woodland settings and along paths and driveways. Because of their varied characteristics of plant size, forms, flower colors and bloom times Encore Azaleas are perhaps one of the more versatile shrubs around.