There are so many worthy spring blooming shrubs for us to utilize in our gardens, including the seemingly endless array of attractive Rhododendrons and Azaleas. Specific flavors of each of these can be planted for various bloom times - beginning in March, with some even blooming well into June. As you view your landscape or drive about and admire others in the area, there is certainly an abundance of both Rhododendrons and Azaleas still in flower. But what happens when these are done strutting their spring colors? They certainly have nice evergreen foliage and still produce a needed presence in any yard, but what about more flower power? There are a couple of excellent newer Azalea series, available in a few color variations, that offer not only spring flower power but also a second repeat flowering season in late summer to fall.
First off, my title above could be a bit misleading as there are plenty of double-flowered Azaleas. These are certainly lovely as well, but what I am delving into today are two-season Azaleas, those that offer us both spring and fall flowers. I have talked about Rhododendrons and Azaleas a few times over the years and today’s treasures are no different as far as cultural requirements. They love our acidic soils, ample moisture and thrive in partial to full sun locations. They require good drainage and do best with some mulch to conserve water, but be careful to never bury them too deep or mulch up the stems. All Azaleas are technically old wood bloomers, meaning that they set their flower buds over the summer and fall each year to open the following the spring. These two season Azaleas are a bit different because they bloom twice, but we still follow the same pruning principle of prune after bloom. With both the ‘Perfecto Mundo’ and ‘Double Shot’ Azaleas I discuss below, if trimming is needed do so after the spring bloom only, then leave them alone for summer to maximize your second flowering. I always talk about feeding plants each March and June and with both of these repeat bloomers it is essential to do so, maximizing both flowering seasons with a quality organic granular food for acid-loving plants. This type of fertilizer also does wonders for all Azaleas, Camellias, Rhododendrons, Blueberries and much, much more!
‘Perfecto Mundo’ Azaleas are brought to you by Proven Winners and their Color Choice breeding program, a renowned producer of some of the finest modern cultivars of plants. Although I might have come up with a different name for these myself, they are truly revolutionary in the world of Azaleas for sure. All of the color options grow to about 3-feet tall and 4-feet wide and are noted for lush foliage and tidy compact habits. The breeder of these (in North Carolina) spent extra care to ensure that the foliage is extremely insect and disease resistant as well, a super useful trait for any plant in the garden. All of the flavors make excellent foundation shrubs or even an informal low hedge border. The individually named colors are all bright, with large double flowers as a bonus. Whether you like classic white, pastel pink, darker fuchsia pink, bright red, delicious purple or my go-to color fiery orange, the ideal ‘Perfecto Mundo’ Azalea is out there for you!
The ‘Double Shot’ series is equally as useful in our local gardens, available exclusively through Monrovia - to me one of the best growers of botanical treasures in the country. There are in fact celebrating 100 years of growing this year, quite an accomplishment! Vivid colors like ‘Grape’, ‘Watermelon’, ‘Salmon’ and ‘Lavender' have been bred to entice us, all with large blooms and lush green foliage. These again were bred for dense, compact habit and reliably hardy repeat flowering in the spring and fall. ‘Grape’ is a vivid reddish-purple, one I have growing at my place. ‘Salmon’ boasts flowers that are a lovely salmon-red color, semi-double and full. ‘Watermelon’ is a rich watermelon-pink with ruffled semi-double flowers. ‘Lavender' produces lovely ruffled lavender-pink blossoms in abundance and they even have a touch of contrasting pink in the center. All of the varieties in this series will thrive in locations that receive part sun and part shade. They honestly don’t mind a little afternoon sun, but ideally morning sun and afternoon shade works best. All are compact and tidy like those in the ‘Perfecto Mundo’ series, maturing to the same useful size of 2 to 3-feet tall and wide.
For years the only brand of two season Azaleas I saw available was called ‘Encore’ - perhaps you have seen these around at stores too. These are really bred for the southeast and thrive in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and similar climes. I see them mainly at the “chain store” nurseries (like Home Depot, Walmart and Lowes) these days and not at quality family-owned establishments. I have tried a few of these ‘Encore’ Azaleas over the years but have never had one last through the winter in our area. Perhaps some people have (good on them), but the majority of these are rated in the Zone 8 hardiness (with a few rated 7 as well). In my experiences, one cold snap in the winter and they are done. The major reason I am highlighting both the ‘Perfecto Mundo’ and 'Double Shot’ series is because of this winter hardiness issue – all colors in both series go down to Zone 6 hardiness. Now that is what I am talking about!
Personally, reliable repeat flowering Azaleas have been a garden wish for me, going back for years now. I have always enjoyed a variety of Azaleas in my own yard, admiring their reliable spring flowers here and there throughout each spring. But, I always craved longer lasting color or for the flowers to simply bloom again. With both the ‘Perfecto Mundo’ and ‘Double Shot’ Azalea series my wish has come to fruition and now we all have access to hardier selections of repeat flowering Azaleas! A visit to the local garden center should allow you to see some of what is available. If not now, more will come in I am sure for their fall blooming season. Speak with a Certified Professional Horticulturist and allow them to assist you in choosing the perfect ones for your garden. These series offer us local gardeners superior hardiness and bright flower power in both spring and fall. I would invite you to discover both the 'Perfecto Mundo’ and ‘Double Shot’ Azaleas series and incorporate these beauties into your very own landscape oasis. You will surely be amazed like I have by their durability and extra season of flower power.
