Spring’s Reward
IN A PREVIOUS ARTICLE I traced out the meandering story of the development of cold-hardy evergreen azaleas. Species native to several continents were brought together and tinkered with by breeders, to varying degrees. Initially they were grown in hothouses or humid temperate climates, such as the American Southeast, that resembled their original habitats. We have all seen pictures of quintessential Southern belles from Mobile, Atlanta or Williamsburg strolling along in spectacularly colorful springtime azalea plantations. Such displays can now be enjoyed in much cooler northern regions of North America, thanks to the work of dedicated plant breeders.
But the traditional Southern indicas, as they’re called, have deciduous cousins that are truly exceptional in cold hardiness and also color, scent and blossom size. Scattered around the world there were a multitude of native deciduous azaleas that had
