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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database <Rhododendron canescens
I once had to endure a seven-hour ride through south Georgia and north Florida on a Greyhound bus in late March. As the bus crept along the back roads, making protracted stops in every tiny town we encountered, I found myself growing increasingly bored and motion sick. Then I began to notice the piedmont azaleas at the edges of the woods, and they helped me take my mind off my troubles. The azaleas were blooming, but nothing else was yet. Under the bare trees they stood looking like fairies or angels—magical beings of some kind. They were so graceful and delicate, each about the height of a person, and their pale pink flowers shimmered and glowed in the sunlight. I spent the rest of the bus ride planning how I would use these beautiful plants in my home landscape.
It seems to me they’d look good just about anywhere. GWF Volunteer Cilla Cartwright is more particular. She says she likes them best in a loose, well-spaced cluster in an open woodland, close to a path so their subtle perfume can be enjoyed in spring. Cilla suggests underplanting with phlox, celandine poppy, Virginia bluebells, and other early-blooming wildflowers.
Ericaceae (Heath Family)
Large deciduous shrub with egg-shaped, hairy leaves one to three inches long. Fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers range in color from white to pink and appear in March or April, at the same time as the leaves or just before.
10 to 15 feet tall and wide.
Upright, open, tree-like.
Moderate.
Part shade is best.
Plant in fall or winter, during dormancy, in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Good drainage is essential, so it is important not to plant too deep; make sure the top of your root ball is set about an inch above soil level. If you are planting in clay or sandy soils, amend your entire planting bed with shredded pine bark or compost.
Assets include subtle, delicate pink spring flowers; fuzzy, rounded leaves; and a graceful form.
Piedmont azalea looks great in a naturalistic garden setting—in small groups at the edge of a shady woodland or in the midst of open woods. It also works well in an island in filtered light. Plants can get big, so be sure to space them properly!
Flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Found throughout Georgia along streamsides and at the edges of moist woods. In the Southeast, this is the most abundant of all the native azalea species.
Softwood cuttings.
Text and photo by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation
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Piedmont Azalea
