Gardeners who love spring-blooming azaleas can now enjoy an explosion of blooms from spring through fall with the new Encore Azaleas. These patented new varieties begin their show in the spring and follow that up with an encore of blooms in summer and again in fall before the curtains drop to close the show with the onset of cold weather. And the best part of all is that this blooming process is repeated every year.
This new line of evergreen azaleas was developed by a breeder in Louisiana. These plants are the product of breeding traditional spring-blooming varieties with a rare Taiwanese summer-blooming azalea. The plants are similar to traditional azaleas and grow 3-5′ high and wide. Giving them proper planting, watering and care will help them thrive in their new home. Simply follow a few guidelines and your plants will reward you with buckets of blooms.
Encore Azaleas perform well in full sun in most locations but prefer a little filtered afternoon shade in hot areas. A minimum of four to six hours of direct sunlight per day is required for proper blooms. The soil around the plants should be kept consistently moist but not wet, especially those planted in full sun exposures.
Make sure to amend the soil with peat moss or an acid-based planting mix mixed 50/50 with the native soil. A 2″ layer of mulch around the base of the plant will help hold in moisture, and protect the roots from sun. As with all azaleas, we recommend feeding every two months with cottonseed meal or an acid fertilizer. Do not fertilize from September until spring blooms are finished.
Encore Azaleas require very little pruning to maintain their shape. The spent flowers will “clean off” naturally and don’t require dead-heading. If you need to prune for size control, do so immediately after the spring blooms have finished. Light pruning of more established plants will stimulate growth and flowering.
Stop by and pick up a few of these beautiful plants today!