Chinese Azalea Fragrant Star

Azalea 'Fragrant Star', commonly known as the Chinese Azalea, is part of the deciduous foliage Rhododendrons. It is a beautiful improvement of a species native to the east coast of the United States, which has passed on its extraordinary fragrance to it. Quite early in the season, enhanced by an elegant green-blue foliage, its bouquets of flowers resembling white lilies with a hint of beige-pink when they open, are capable of perfuming an entire area of the garden. Deciduous azaleas, less demanding than their evergreen Japanese cousins, have many qualities to discover in the garden, but also in pots on the terrace or balcony.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are plants from the heather family, just like heathers, preferring mostly lime-free soils, with an acidic tendency, and humid climates. 'Fragrant Star' descends from the famous cultivar 'Snowbird', from which it distinguishes itself with larger flowers. It has the genes of the Rhododendron atlanticum, as well as the R. canescens. Its first parent is native to humid or drier plains and savannas in the eastern USA. It is found on the Atlantic coast of North America, among pines and oaks, in plant formations that regularly experience fire. The second, R. canescens, grows in large colonies in humid woods, on the margins of marshes and along streams in North Carolina, western Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas.

'Fragrant Star' is characterized by excellent hardiness (up to -26°C (-14.8 °F)) and remarkably fragrant flowering. The bush, with fairly slow growth, will reach about 1.20m (3ft 11in) in height and 1m (3ft 4in) in width at the age of 10. It has a fairly compact, rather rounded habit, slightly taller than wide. Flowering occurs from mid-April to mid-May, depending on the climate, on already leafy branches. At the ends of the branches, bouquets of funnel-shaped flowers with narrow tubes appear. Each flower measures 3 to 4cm (1.2 to 1.6in) in diameter and is adorned with 5 long white stamens that enhance the delicacy of the flowers. They emit a powerful fragrance reminiscent of honeysuckle and attract many pollinating insects. The branches bear deciduous leaves that are quite thick, elliptical to ovate, and green-blue. This bush likes partial shade but tolerates full sun if the soil remains consistently moist. It is more heat-resistant than many other varieties of Chinese azaleas.

Chinese azaleas are beautiful shrubs for borders, with a very natural habit, often fragrant, very attractive in spring, but also in autumn. They happily accompany Japanese maples, which also change their appearance throughout the seasons, as well as Japanese camellias or their graceful cousins with often fragrant autumn flowering, the hybrids of C. sasanqua. They can also be grown in a carefully chosen large pot, with a suitable substrate and preferably watered with non-lime water. The undeniable beauty of deciduous azaleas deserves some adjustments to recreate the conditions they prefer.