Autumn Royalty Azalea
The Autumn Royalty azalea was voted "Azalea of the Year" for 2004 by the American Rhododendron Society. Autumn Royalty is a rhododendron hybrid azalea: azaleas belong to the genus Rhododendron, and the rhododendrons and azaleas have similar needs. Autumn Royalty shrubs grow quickly and attract butterflies. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Encore azaleas come from the cross-breeding efforts of Robert E. Lee, who mixed spring-blooming varieties with summer-blooming azaleas. Autumn Royalty is one of six original varieties of azaleas that resulted from this work.
Features
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Autumn Royalty has an upright form, and the plant reaches 4 1/2 feet in height and 4 feet in width. The plants produce 2 1/2-inch single blooms in a pinkish-purple color. Encore azaleas bloom in two seasons: in spring and in mid-summer to early fall, with flowers lasting until cold weather arrives. The shrubs are easy to grow and drought-tolerant. Autumn Royalty demonstrates cold-hardiness through USDA plant hardiness zone 6 and is adapted to zones 6 through 9. Growers should look for plants that are well-branched; strong plants indicate a good, intact root system.
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Site
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Plant Autumn Royalty in a well-drained location. Fertilize the shrubs after planting, but do not fertilize them in the fall, advises the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Growers should provide Autumn Royalty with an acidic soil with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6.0. The shrubs require light shade to full sun.
Light
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Azaleas grown in full sun will not provide long-lasting flowers and are more frequently troubled by lace bugs, while those grown in heavier shade don't perform well. Light to moderate shade protects the plants from sun damage and cold injury. The plants pair well with pine trees, due to the filtered shade and acidic soil present around the trees, notes Clemson Cooperative Extension.
Planting
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For these shallow-rooted shrubs, Clemson Cooperative Extension suggests digging a hole to the depth needed to properly position the root ball and a width equal to two to three times the span of the branches. Growers should place each shrub with the top of the root ball level with the ground or extending slightly above the soil. Before filling the hole, firm the soil in the bottom of the hole to keep the root ball at the chosen height.
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