Azalea mollis Demoiselles de Boutiguery Kassia

The Chinese Azalea 'Demoiselles de Boutiguery Kassia' is a recent French variety, selected for its small size and floriferous habit. In spring, the shrub blooms brightly, with clusters of yellow and white flowers covering its foliage. Here and there, a little hint of pink appears among the petals, giving the flowers a touch of romance. Unlike Japanese Azaleas, this plant is deciduous and very hardy. The Demoiselles de Boutiguery range is extremely interesting for its abundance of flowers. Even in their early years, these shrubs bear numerous flower buds, putting on a spectacular show in spring. Too little known and too little used, Chinese azaleas are very graceful plants with many wonderful qualities. They grow in lime-free soil. They are a must for the garden or in a large pot on the terrace!

Azalea is a horticultural term still commonly used, but in botanical terms, they are actually Rhododendrons, whose flowers have 5 stamens instead of 10. Plants from the Ericaceae family, just like heathers, strawberry trees or blueberries, they mostly prefer lime-free, acid soil and damp climates. The deciduous Chinese Azaleas, have fewer requirements than the evergreen Japanese Azaleas: they are very hardy, tolerate the sun and heat better, and even occasionally dry soil, depending on the hybrids. Nevertheless, they will be at their best in cool climates, with distinct winters, planted in humus-rich, fertile, lime-free soil.

The 'Demoiselles de Boutiguery' series is the work of a Breton family, settled on the Domaine de Boutiguery, whose park was designed by the Bühler brothers, renowned landscape designers  (they are responsible for the layout of the Tête d'Or park in Lyon, the Thabor park in Rennes and the Courson Castle park in Essonne). Christian de la Sablière and his daughter Virginie work there constantly hybridising Rhododendrons in search of new flower colours.

Azalea 'Kassia' is a variety whose unusual flowers combines different colours in perfect harmony. Predominantly white, these luminous flowers have a corolla made up of 5 petals, one of which is a beautiful shade of yellow, more intense and even slightly orange in the centre. The 2 petals on either side (and sometimes the last 2) are a light, soft pink. This rare combination in Azaleas is more common in Irises and certain orchids. A few stamens spring from the centre of the corolla and arch gracefully upwards towards the yellow petal. They too are the same colour, adding to the beauty and harmony of the flowers.

Its deciduous foliage is made up of simple, oval-lanceolate, smooth-edged leaves arranged alternately on the branches. They vary in length from 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.9 in). Their beautiful, bright green colour is a perfect backdrop for the magnificent flowers, which stand out clearly against the foliage.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons have a shallow root system that always needs to be kept moist, but they also dislike waterlogged soil which would suffocate the roots.

This Chinese Azalea 'Kassia' can be planted on its own in the smallest of gardens, but will also look lovely in a bed of spring flowers. Plant it with Japanese Pieris, a compact shrub that produces a multitude of bells at the start of the season and, depending on the variety, very decorative young red foliage. The light shade of a purple Japanese maple  (Acer palmatum Atropurpureum)) will create a superb contrast of foliage colours, while adding a Japanese touch to your décor. You might also consider perennials such as Heuchera citronelle, , with its surprising yellow-green leaves, which will look great at the foot of your Azalea.