Our most well-known wild azaleas are prized for their rich colors, especially the Austrinum hybrids — the firey orange “Tiger,” the salmon/yellow “Colonel Mosby” and the deep gold “Stonewall Jackson.” We will have these for sale on November 2, but we will also have three varieties of rare, elegant, and extremely fragrant white-blooming azaleas. The “Hammocksweet Azalea,” R. serrulatum; the “Coastal Azalea” R. atlanticum; and the “Sweet Azalea” R. arborescens.
Hammocksweet Wild Azalea
The Hammocksweet Azalea blooms late, in mid-summer. Its powerful fragrance is very welcome then, when little else is in flower.
Coastal Wild Azalea
The Coastal Azalea is also called the “Dwarf Azalea.” It will grow to 3 to 4 feet at maturity.
Sweet Azalea
The Sweet Azalea has large pure white flowers with striking red stamens. The southern edge of its natural range is north of us (to Pine Mountain) so it will need some extra care with watering until established.
These rare white wild azaleas and many other colorful varieties will be available for sale at Birdsong Nature Center’s upcoming Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, November 2th from 9AM-1PM, along with a nice selection of native plants and trees, including Ashe magnolias, oakleaf hydrangeas, and beloved old garden plants that thrive from fall planting.
You are welcome to stay afterwards; bring a picnic and enjoy the fall foliage and wildflowers on a walk in the woods!
