Japanese azalea ENCORE Bonfire

The Encore Hybrid Azalea 'Bonfire' is a compact variety, with vibrant raspberry-red, single and semi-double flowers, belonging to the Encore series which has made the Japanese azalea, now with successive and spectacular flowerings, a plant almost as decorative as the rose. This lovely evergreen bush blooms two to three times a year depending on the climate: first abundantly at the end of winter or the beginning of spring, then during the summer before a beautiful resurgence in late summer or early autumn. At home in the sun or partial shade, relatively hardy, the Encore hybrid azaleas are very versatile and come in a variety of styles, with single or double flowers, more or less compact, in a range of colours including white, red, various shades of pink, salmon, and orange vermillion. Mix them together to create rustic flower beds or more sophisticated displays. Like all azaleas, 'Bonfire' likes non-calcareous soils, moist but well-drained, fertile enough to sustain its successive flowerings.

From a botanical point of view, Azaleas are actually Rhododendrons, plants from the large Ericaceae family. The hybrids from the Encore series, distributed by Globe Planter, were created thanks to Buddy Lee, a talented American nurseryman specializing in these plants. These quite fantastic azaleas are the result of a long process of hybridization and selection, with the aim of obtaining varieties capable of flowering several times a year, as well as withstanding the sun.

'Bonfire' is a moderately sized variety, with a rounded bushy habit. The shrub reaches about 80 cm (31.5 in) in height and spread, growing rather slowly it is slightly faster than the traditional Japanese azaleas. It starts flowering, abundantly and brightly, in March-April in the form of semi-double and single, bright red-pink flowers which are close to magenta, remaining extremely vivid, and not fading. They measure about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, are funnel-shape and gathered in small terminal clusters. A second wave of flowers begins at the end of May, when new shoots appear, already bearing new flower buds that open in summer. A final flowering occurs in early autumn, usually in October.  The foliage of the Japanese azalea, more or less evergreen depending on the severity of the winter, consists of small, simple, glossy, elliptical leaves with smooth edges, arranged alternately on the branches.  They are a rather light green in spring, darkening in summer. In 'Bonfire', they have a slightly velvety appearance and take on purplish hues in cold weather. This variety is hardy down to -12/-15°C (10.4 - 5 °F). Azaleas and rhododendrons have a shallow root system that always needs to be kept moist, but they also dislike waterlogged soil which would suffocate them.

Japanese azaleas thrive in cool climates with distinct winters, planted in humus-rich, acidic soil, such as ericaceous soil. Under these conditions, they are very beautiful evergreen shrubs for flower beds or flowering pots, attractive all year round. They happily accompany heathers, Japanese maples, or their Chinese relatives that change colour throughout the seasons. Combine them with flowering cherry trees, Japanese camellias, as well as their graceful, often fragrant, autumn-flowering cousins, the Camelia sasanqua hybrids. This 'Bonfire' variety looks wonderful in a large, moist, cool rockery or at the front of flower beds in a small Japanese or romantic-style garden. It will also make a beautiful pot plant to decorate a terrace or balcony, planted in suitable soil and watered with lime-free water.