Habitat

• native to Korea, Manchuria, Japan
• zone 4

Habit and Form

• typical size is 5' to 7' tall; can get to 15' tall
• a deciduous shrub
• rounded shape
• upright, multi-stemmed branching

Summer Foliage

• deciduous, simple leaves
• leaf arrangement is alternate, but appears whorled at the branch tips
• obovate leaf shape
• leaves 2' to 5' long
• leaf apex is blunt or notched
• leaves are dark green above and paler underneath

Autumn Foliage

• a mix of yellow, orange and red
• fall foliage is quite attractive

Flowers

• light pink flowers
• usually numerous and showy
• bloom time is mid-may
• each flower is 2.5' to 3" in diameter
• flowers are held in groups of 3 to 6
• fragrant

Fruit

• non-ornamental capsules

Bark

• gray-brown
• not ornamentally important

Culture

• cool, moist acidic soils are best
• more tolerant of pH 6.5 to 7.0 than most other azaleas
• full sun to light shade
• avoid harsh locations

Landscape Use

• as a specimen
• foundation plant
• borders
• naturalistic areas
• in small groupings
• useful for flowers and fall foliage color

Liabilities

• specific sol and site requirements
• sometimes views as difficult to get established
• occasional leaf spot disease

ID Features

• very showy pink spring flowers
• obovate leaves with blunt tips
• orange-red fall color
• flowers have 10 stamens

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Sid's Royal Pink' - This is the only commonly available form, and it is quite common in specialty catalogs. It has a more compact growth form to 5' tall with large, deep pink flowers. The fall color can be very good.