The re-blooming azalea revolution that began a few years back really changed growing evergreen azaleas. From just a few short weeks of color in spring, these new plants gave us weeks of bloom, with a second batch of blooms starting in late summer and continuing through fall. They were simply great for gardeners in warmer zones, and especially if you had a sunny garden, because they thrived in full sun – in fact. it was needed for them to reliably re-bloom. As well, you needed to garden in at least zone 7, as they were not cold hardy. Lovely as the Encore Azaleas are, these were limitations, at least for some of us. This makes the arrival of a new generation of reblooming azaleas great news. This time, these are plants that bloom best in partial shade, and even in full light shade beneath an open tree canopy. They are also hardy throughout zone 6, opening up re-blooming to millions of gardeners. Let’s give a big welcome to one of the best, the Blush Elegance™ ReBLOOM™ Azalea.

The Blush Elegance ReBLOOM Azalea is a fabulous new evergreen azalea that grows into a bush just 18 to 24 inches tall. At that size it is perfect for the front of a bed, and with its broad spread – almost 3 feet across – you don’t need many to make a big show. It will look great around your home, or in beds out in the garden. It also grows well in woodland settings. The leaves are a rich dark green, and they have a heavy texture, with fine soft hairs covering them on both sides. The leaves are 1¾ inches long, and ¾ of an inch wide, smoothly oval, and densely clustered on the spreading branches. This plant holds its leaves very well through winter, so it always looks green and healthy, not half-bare and sad, during the coldest months, when we appreciate green the most.

The flowers are large, over 4 inches across, with five petals, forming an open cup. They are produced profusely, in clusters of 3 to 5, at the ends of the branches, or on short side branches a little below the branch tips. They are a rich, vibrant light pink color, and a plant in bloom makes a stand-out showing. Blooming begins in April to May, and lasts for several weeks, with each bloom staying beautiful for a full week, making for a long spring season. Then your plant will take a short rest during early summer, but by July it will be back in bloom again. At first with scattered blooms, and then, as fall approaches, becoming more intense, and continuing with a wonderful display right up until the first frost brings it to an end. Imagine all those weeks of vibrant color from these plants, and what it will mean in your garden, especially if you have limited space for flowering plants.

Like other azaleas, the Blush Elegance ReBLOOM Azalea needs moist, acidic soil to thrive. If you are already growing azaleas successfully, or your immediate neighbors are, then you won’t even need to test your soil to see if the pH is below 6.5, and ideally lower. That is what is needed, but if you don’t have it, no worries. Simply grow your plant in a container. A wide, shallow clay pot is best for long-term growing, or a planter box, and it must have drainage holes. Fill it with potting soil blended for acid-loving plants, easily available at garden centers and hardware stores. Feed regularly for sturdy growth and lots of blooms, and water whenever the top ½ inch of soil is dry. 

If you already have acidic soil, then plant the Blush Elegance ReBLOOM Azalea in partial shade, with morning sun only, or in light dappled shade beneath deciduous trees or on the north side of a wall or your house. In zone 6 it will grow in full sun if the soil is moist, but in warmer zones it needs some shade to grow well. In the garden the ground should be prepared by blending in plenty of rich, lime-free organic material – rotted leaves or peat moss are good choices. Mulch the roots in spring to conserve moisture and keep your bush well-watered during hot weather. This plant is not resistant to dryness, but it is also not bothered by pests or diseases, and in suitable light and soil it is easy to grow.

The Blush Elegance ReBLOOM Azalea is the product of a complex and long breeding program carried out in Seneca, North Carolina, by Robert Head. He began with thousands of seedlings from many crosses between different azaleas, and gradually reduced them to the nine very best, which are the ReBLOOM™ Azalea series. For the variety called ‘RLH1-12P0’ and marketed with the trademark name of Blush Elegance™, he took pollen from an older variety called `Watchet` and pollinated one of his hybrid plants with it. Among the many seedlings he grew from this cross, he found one with wonderful blooms, that was cold-hardy and blooms for months of the year – Blush Elegance. It was patented in 2014, and these new plants are really making a hit with zone 6 gardeners, and with those with shadier gardens to plant. We know our stock will be gone soon, so order now and enjoy months, not weeks, of gorgeous pink azaleas blooming in your garden.