The flowering of rhododendrons and azaleas, i.e. shrubs of the genus Rhododendron, can last up to five months in the warmest regions of our country.It seems unlikely, because the large-flowered rhododendrons popularly grown in Poland usually bloom only in the second mid May.
We can extend this period by planting little known species and their varieties that bloom in early spring and in summer.After the winter monotony, the garden "premature babies" enjoy the most, so we will recommend a few of them.
Rhododendrons - early flowering varieties
In favorable weather conditions, the first rhododendrons develop flower buds as early as March or April, and with weather anomalies even in February.It usually takes place in the western part of the country.Among the small-flowered and small-leaved specimens the valuable ones are:
- Rhododendron dauricum,
- Ledebour Rhododendron ledebourii,
- Rhododendron sichotense,
- Rhododendron mucronulatum.
These species, admittedly, are offered by only a few Polish nurseries, but they are easily available from our southern and western neighbors.In Poland, however, you can easily buy extremely interesting early varieties:
- 'April Gem' and 'April Snow' - about white flowers,
- 'Anna Baldsiefen', 'April Reign', 'April Rose', 'Praecox', 'P.J. Mezitt ',' P.J. M. Regal ',' Staccato '- all in different shades of pink.
Impressive with large, original leaves and pretty inflorescences in early spring:
- Rhododendron calophytum,
- Rhododendron sutchuenense,
- rhododendron Purdoma Rhododendron purdomii,
- Farges' Rhododendron oreodoxa.
They are all very decorative and come from East Asia.
Environment and soil for rhododendrons
Azaleas - varieties blooming in May
Azaleas, or rhododendrons with leaves that fall off before winter, bloom before they develop. The earliest ones appear at the beginning of April, when it warms up, that is, a bit later than its evergreen relatives.The culmination of their flowering usually falls in the first three weeks of May and is earlier than other plants of this species by about one and a half to two weeks.
The first to bloom is the original Japanese beauty - Rhododendron reticulatum veined azalea, which pleases the eyes while our gardens are still asleep.Its bell-shaped pink flowers are especially decorative when dark green conifers are used as the background.The species name comes from the distinct reticular innervation on the underside of the leaf.
Japanese azaleas are also among the early-flowering ones - with small, semi-evergreen leaves (falling in spring).Most varieties from this group develop flower buds from the second half of April to mid-May.Earliest to:
- 'Betty',
- 'Blue Danube',
- 'Favorite',
- 'Fedora',
- 'Madame Albert Van Hecke',
- 'Nordlicht',
- 'Orange Beauty',
- 'Professor Jersov'.
There are also later varieties among them, e.g. Nakahara's azalea Rhododendron nakaharai 'Wombat' and 'Alexander'.
Large-flowered azaleas
Only a few azaleas, classified as large-leaved or large-flowered, develop flower buds in late April. They are the first to bloom:
- varieties from the Mollis group - 'Hollandia', 'Comte de Quincey', 'Christopher Wren', 'Willem II',
- varieties from the Rustica group - 'Apelles', 'Byron', 'Phidias', 'Velasquez'.
The flowering of the vast majority of azalea varieties grown here begins in mid-May and lasts about a month.
