Best Repeat Blooming Azalea

Few shrubs are as glorious in the Spring as the Azalea.  So many colors and sizes to choose from allow you to select the perfect plant for each location. Azaleas are part of the Genus Rhododendron. The plants generally enjoy north & east exposures and don't take to much late afternoon sun.

Encore Azalea

Encore® Azaleas are the only patented brand of azaleas to bloom in spring, summer and fall. Each of the 29 Encore varieties begins their performance with the spring flowering season. Once this “first act” of blooming concludes, new shoots begin to grow and set buds. The Encore® Azalea's "second act" opens when these buds begin blooming into full flower mid-summer. This unique bloom season continues through the fall, the curtain dropping with the onset of cold weather. But, the show goes on. As an "encore," these exceptional azaleas flower again with traditional spring azaleas and the process starts over.

Invented by plant breeder Robert E. "Buddy" Lee of Independence, La., the evergreen Encore® Azaleas enjoy more sun than traditional azaleas,but offer the same easy care. Lee first envisioned Encore Azaleas in the early 1980s when he found a tray of azalea cuttings blooming in the summer sun at his small Louisiana azalea nursery. Inspired, he began crossing traditional spring-blooming azaleas with the rare Taiwanese summer-blooming azalea, Rhododendron oldhamii.

Tulsa enjoys all the benefits of the Encore Azalea and it generally tolerates a little more of the Oklahoma sun than traditional Azalea varieties. 

Bloom-A-Thon Azalea

Bloom-A-Thon® Azaleas are similar to Encore™ azaleas and are said to bloom for 4-6 weeks in spring, and then another 12-16 weeks in summer and fall. Introduced in Spring 2012, little is known about them. They are patented as are Encore™ azaleas and the Bloom-A-Thon patents compare them to Encore™ azaleas. Bloom-A-Thon® Pink Double is double and the pollen parent is 'Watchet'. Bloom-A-Thon® red is semi-double and the pollen parent is 'September Song'. Bloom-A-Thon® Lavender is single. Bloom-A-Thon® White is single and the pollen parent is 'September Song'. They are all said to be hardy in USDA zones 6-9

 We have used both plants and really don't have a strong opinion.  Certainly, the Encore Varieties have a great choice of many colors.  Soon, I hope we have a smaller mature size plant.  If you prepare a proper planting mix (75% peat moss, 15% pine bark, and 10% sand or soil), you can be assured of success.  Make sure and wet the mix well (stir and add lots of water) before planting.

We love Azaleas and Spring in Tulsa.  Call us today to find out more or click below to get more information.