Azalea mollis Kosters Brilliant Red

Azalea mollis 'Koster's Brilliant Red' is an old variety of Chinese Azalea with a beautiful shape, with an abundance of fragrant, flamboyant flowers in spring. Its funnel-shaped flowers are not very large but very vividly coloured in flame red, orange and yellowy-orange shades. They bloom just before the vibrant green foliage, taking on beautiful orangey-red hues in autumn. Unlike Japanese Azaleas, this plant is deciduous and very hardy. Too little known and too little used, deciduous Azaleas are very graceful plants growing in chalk-free soil, with a whole host of qualities, so do not hesitate to plant it in the garden or in a large pot on the terrace!

Rhododendron molle is a shrub in the heather family, Ericaceae, native to central and eastern China, which has given rise to most of the deciduous Azalea varieties grown in gardens through hybridisation. 'Koster's Brilliant Red' is a Dutch cultivar developed by Koster M. & Sons in 1918. It is part of a series of hybrids called Knap Hill. 

'Brilliant Red' is a rather slow-growing, elegant, upright, spreading shrub that is both both slender and bushy. By the age of 10, this Azalea will reach about 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) in height and 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in spread, reaching up to 1.60 m (5 ft 2 in) by 1.30 m (4 ft 4 in  under optimal growing conditions. Its pleasantly scented flowers bloom over a long period in early or late May, depending on the climate, at the same time as the young leaves appear on the hairy branches. The flowers, measuring 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) in diameter, are funnel-shaped and grouped in terminal clusters. They change from a muted red when they first emerge to red-orange when they reach full bloom. The upper petal has discreet orangey-yellow speckles and the 5 long, arching, dark yellow stamens contribute to the overall beauty of the flowers. The deciduous foliage consists of simple, oval-lanceolate, smooth-edged leaves, arranged alternately on the branches. They vary from 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.9 inches) in length, and they turn form dark green in summer to red-orange-purple in October. 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.

Deciduous Chinese Azaleas have fewer requirements than evergreen, Japanese Azaleas: they are very hardy and tolerate sunny positions, and even dry soil on occasion, depending on the hybrids. However, they give their best in cool climates, with distinct winters, planted in humus-rich, fertile, lime-free soil. They are beautiful shrubs for borders, with an attractive, informal habit, blooming twice a year and the perfect accompaniment to Japanese maples, which also change colour with the seasons, as well as Japanese camellias, or their graceful, often fragrant, autumn-flowering cousins, the Camellia sasanqua hybrids. 'Koster's Brilliant Red'  will be magnificent when combined with other Chinese Azaleas in shades of yellow, orange, peach or red. The undeniable beauty of deciduous Azaleas merits the changes needed to create the conditions they prefer. They can also be grown in a large, carefully chosen pot, in suitable soil, and watered with lime-free water.