12 Different Types of Azaleas And Why They’re Good For Your Garden

Although many people do not realize it, there are over 10,000 types of azaleas and approximately 800 species. Azaleas can be cut and replanted, where the plant will clone itself to make new azaleas, although they can also be grown from seeds.

They are beautiful plants and are well-known for their ability to grow almost anywhere. Azaleas also have various blooming times, colors, and sizes, and they can grow in a variety of conditions. Some are most common in the United States; below are descriptions of some of them.

Deciduous/Hybrid Azaleas

Deciduous and hybrid azaleas are broken down into two main categories, as described below.

Aromi Deciduous

These azaleas are characterized by their large size, early bloom time, rich colors, and improved hardiness in the buds. Their types come in many different colors, including:

1. Amy Dennis: Lemon yellow with red-orange trim
2. Appalachian Gold: Deep gold in color
3. April Fanfare: Bright yellow with red-orange tips
4. April Follies: Bright yellow
5. April Yellow: Bright yellow with a light red-orange on the tips
6. Aromi Sunny-Side-Up: Pale to lemon yellow
7. Aromi Sunrise: Orange to yellow-orange
8. Aromi Sunstruck: Pale to lemon yellow
9. Bees Haven: Small white flowers highlighted with light pink
10. Canary Isles: Large yellow flowers with orange tips
11. Cayenne Capers: Deep yellow flowers flushed with red
12. Centerpiece: Light cream color buds opening to white flowers
13. Clear Creek: Translucent yellow flushed with white
14. Coral Reef: Light yellow flowers flushed with dark red
15. Country Cousin: Deep red flowers opening to white flowers flushed with red
16. Courtship: Large white flowers with red edges
17. Dancing Rabbit: Bright yellow flowers; fragrant
18. Decidedly Pink: Large white flowers flushed with dark red
19. First Love: Large white flowers flushed with red
20. Flirtation Pink: White flowers flushed with cardinal red
21. Fool’s Folly: Orange buds that open to bright yellow flowers flushed with light orange
22. Forty-Niner: Golden flowers flushed with scarlet
23. Four Kings: Red buds that open to bright yellow flowers flushed with faint red
24. Four Sisters: Cardinal red buds that open to white flowers flushed with cardinal red
25. Frontier Gold: Scarlet-orange buds that open to golden flowers shaded in scarlet
26. Frontier Red: Red-orange flowers flushed with bright red
27. Gene’s Gold: Creamy gold flowers flushed with rose tips
28. Glory Be: Many bright yellow flowers; fragrant
29. Goldrush: Large golden-yellow flowers flushed with red-orange
30. Gold Strike: Deep yellow flowers
31. Head’s Up: Light yellow flowers flushed with a faint red
32. Hearts’ Afire: Large red-orange flowers
33. High Tide: Ivory flowers with light pink tips
34. High Times: Bright yellow flowers flushed with red-orange tips
35. Honey Lamb: Purple-pink flowers
36. Honeybee Hobnob: Light yellow flowers flushed with bright red
37. Indian Spring: Light yellow flowers flushed with dark red
38. Indian Yellow: Large light-yellow flowers shaded with bright red
39. Jack of Hearts: Red-orange; bloom in June
40. Jane’s Gold: Cream and yellow flowers with rose tips
41. Jeanette Ann: White flowers flushed with pink tips
42. John Giordano: Orange flowers with red-orange tips
43. Jonquil Yellow: Lemon yellow flower, fragrant
44. Jubilation: Large light-yellow flowers flushed with orange-red
45. Julius Kingsley: White flowers flushed with deep red
46. June Jubilee: Small white flowers; late-blooming
47. Kevin Patrick: Red buds that open to orange flowers flushed with deep pink
48. King’s Jester: Large yellow flowers flushed with red
49. King’s Ransom: Light yellow flowers with red-orange tips
50. King’s Treasure: Large bright yellow buds open to pure yellow flowers flushed with red-orange
51. King’s Trumpeter: Dark red buds that open to bright yellow flowers flushed with bright red
52. King’s Wizard: Bright yellow flowers flushed with bright red
53. Lacecap: Light pink flowers
54. Laughing Lion: Light yellow flowers with deep red edges
55. Lemon Lullaby: Large light-yellow flowers
56. Lemonade: Large lemon-yellow flowers
57. Liz Colbert: Brick red buds open to light peach flowers
58. Marilyn Jeanne: White flowers flushed heavily with deep red
59. Moon Dreams: Large white flowers
60. Misty Dawn: White flowers with pink tips
61. Neon: Deep yellow flowers flushed with red-orange
62. Old Rose: Damask rose flowers
63. Orange Cloud: Pure orange flowers, fragrant
64. Orange Rhyme: Bright orange flowers flushed with bright red
65. Pale Moon: Large white flowers; fragrant
66. Pathfinder: Orange buds open to golden flowers
67. Peach Glow: Red-orange buds open to light yellow flowers flushed with red-orange
68. Pink Carousel: Scarlet buds open to pale pink flowers
69. Pink Promise: Very large peach-pink flowers
70. Pirate’s Booty: Very large deep-yellow flowers flushed heavily with deep red
71. Pirate’s Pink: Very large cream flowers flushed heavily with bright red
72. Pretty in Pink: White flowers flushed with deep pink
73. Queen’s Ivory: Ivory flowers
74. Queen’s Lace: White flowers flushed with pink
75. Queen’s Rose: Rose flowers
76. Radiant Red: Dark red buds that open to many bright-yellow flowers flushed heavily with dark red
77. Red Chameleon: Scarlet buds open to red flowers that fade to Damask rose
78. Red Pepper: Red-orange flowers
79. Red Whisk: Light lemon-yellow flowers with scarlet pistils and stamens
80. Rose Souffle: Rose flowers; blooms in late June
81. Smith Pink: Large salmon-colored flowers
82. Southern Sunset: Bright yellow flowers with red tips
83. Spanish Main: Deep-red buds open to red-orange flowers flushed with red
84. Spring Dreams: Large white flowers flushed with deep pink on the tips
85. Spring Enchantment: Deep salmon flowers
86. Spring Fandango: Strong yellow flowers flushed heavily with deep rose
87. Spring Fanfare: Bright yellow petals with red tips
88. Spring Frolic: Bright yellow flowers lightly flushed with red-orange
89. Spring Pixie: Medium-sized pink flowers
90. Spring Sensation: Pastel pink flowers
91. Spring Snowfall: Large white flowers flushed with light yellow
92. Spring Song: Large cream flowers with cardinal red tips
93. Strawberry Sherbet: Large white flowers with deep-pink tips
94. Strawberry Sundae: White petals flushed with a deep pink
95. Summer Snowball: Medium-sized white flowers
96. Summer Snowflakes: White flowers flushed with light yellow; extremely fragrant
97. Sundown: Large light-yellow flowers flushed lightly with Cardinal red
98. Tabasco: Bright red flowers
99. Temple’s Toy: Deep-red buds open to orange flowers with deep-red tips
100. Tensaw: Bright yellow flowers
101. Tipsy Tangerine: Scarlet buds open to flowers with different shades of orange
102. Touch of Pink: Large white flowers with deep-pink tips
103. Tradewinds: Large light-yellow flowers with light flushes of orange
104. Twilight Pink: Pink flowers and deep-red buds
105. Twinkles: White petals flushed with red on the edges
106. White Star: Large, star-shaped white flowers with light-pink tips

Dodd Confederate Series

A cross of several rhododendron seeds, they tolerate heat well and have a lot of vigor. Most of them are difficult to grow until you get them in the semi-shade and in an area that drains well. There are 11 main types, listed below.

1. Admiral Franklin Buchanan: Deep orange
2. Admiral Semmes: Solid yellow
3. Colonel Mosby: Pink with yellow flag
4. Emma Sansom: Soft pink and yellow
5. Frederick O. Douglass: Soft pink
6. Robert E. Lee: Orange, close to red
7. JEB Stuart: Pink with yellow flag
8. Leroy Brown: Deep orange
9. Nathan Bedford Forrest: Orange
10. Lafayette Acree: Ruffled orange
11. Stonewall Jackson: Medium orange

Evergreen Hybrids

These azaleas can be crossed between other species or even other hybrids, and they provide a wide variety of bloom times, colors, and habitats. This means that, regardless of your personal preferences and tastes or where you live, you should be able to find something within this category that suits you. A few of the available categories are below.

Encore

These are true multi-season bloomers, blooming in every season except winter. They are fairly hardy and are available in 30 main types, described below.

1. 1. Amethyst: Red-purple
   2. Angel: White
   3. Belle: Pink
   4. Bravo: Red
   5. Carnation: Pink
   6. Carnival: Pink
   7. Cheer: Pink
   8. Chiffon: White to red
   9. Coral: Pink
   10. Debutante: Pink
   11. Embers: Red
   12. Empress: Pink
   13. Fire: Red
   14. Ivory: White
   15. Jewel: Magenta
   16. Lilac: Purple-violet
   17. Lily: Red-purple
   18. Monarch: Orange-red
   19. Moonlight: White and yellow
   20. Princess: Pink
   21. Rouge: Pink
   22. Royalty: Purple
   23. Ruby: Pink
   24. Sangria: Pink
   25. Starlite: White
   26. Sunburst: Coral
   27. Sundance: Pink
   28. Sunset: Red
   29. Sweetheart: Pink
   30. Twist: White to purple

Glenn Dale

There are over 450 Glenn Dale cultivars, and they grow from 3 to 8 feet in height. For a more detailed description of these azaleas, you can search the Internet and get additional information.

Holly Springs

These azaleas were developed in 1977 and went through more than 30 crosses. They were developed for extra hardiness in the cold and come in dwarf to mid-size growth habits and with large blooms. There are approximately 60 cultivars that come in a wide variety of colors and shades.

Satsuki

These have been hybridized in Japan for over 500 years and number nearly 200 cultivars, most of which can be found online.

Kehr

This hybrid includes roughly 11 types of azaleas, including:

1. Anna Kehr: Dark pink
2. Bob Hill: Magenta
3. Cream Perfect: White
4. Cream Ruffles: White
5. Harold Epstein: White flushed with green
6. Janet Flick: Pink
7. Kehr’s Moonbeam: Creamy white
8. King’s Red: Red
9. Mary Lou Kehr: Pink
10. Memory of Fred Galle: Light yellow
11. White Rosebud: White

Evergreen Species

There are over 40 species included in this group, and they are divided into two main categories, described below. They are native to Japan, but some have made their way to other countries. The two main categories are:

Kyushu Group

From the island of Japan and include:

1. 1. Kaempferi: One of the hardiest types of azaleas; has produced other hybrids, including many strong evergreen azaleas.
   2. Kiusianum: These grow up to 3 feet high and are twiggy and thick. Includes numerous wild hybrids favored by both Europeans and Americans alike.

Indica Group

Consists of two late-blooming plants, the R. Indium and the R. Tamurae species. In Japan, most groups are divided by their blooming time, and they call these two species Satsuki Hybrid azaleas.

Deciduous Species

Of the North American native azaleas, there are 17 varieties that are divided into 3 categories, described below.

The White Group

These seven varieties grow in the Eastern United States, the West, and Canada. Six are from Europe and one is from Alabama. They are:

1. 1. Alabamense
   2. Arborescens
   3. Atlanticum
   4. Colemanii
   5. Eastmanii
   6. Occidentale
   7. Viscosum

The Pink Group

These five varieties bloom in early spring, often before the leaves are fully expanded. Their colors include pale pink, rose pink, and almost a cherry red. They are:

1. Canadense
2. Canescens
3. Periclymenoides
4. Prinophyllum
5. Vaseyi

The Orange to Red Group

The five varieties range from yellow to gold to dark orange and even scarlet and include:

3. 1. Austrinum
   2. Calendulaceum
   3. Cumberlandense
   4. Flammeum
   5. Prunifolium

The Many Advantages of Growing Azaleas

So, you’ve decided to grow azaleas, but why? Everyone knows how beautiful they are, and there are also additional advantages to growing azaleas, and these include the following:

Climate needs

Through Zone 8, azaleas tend to grow well, which means over half of the people in North America can grow azaleas without any challenges. As long as your city doesn’t get below -10 Fahrenheit, you should be fine growing them.

Simple care and maintenance

Once azaleas are planted, they are extremely easy to take care of, and even though some pruning is necessary, azaleas do not need fertilizer. Therefore, their upkeep is minimal.

Most pests avoid azaleas

Although some diseases can strike your azaleas, pests such as flies and mites usually leave azaleas alone, which means more than likely, you won’t have to worry about these animals destroying your flowers. If you do experience any problems, they will likely be easy to take care of with a soil treatment that is inexpensive and easy to apply. For the most part, the care of azaleas is not very time-consuming.