Azaleas that bloom both in spring and fall have become the ‘new normal’ for these wonderful evergreen shrubs. They were always highlights of spring, and there nothing has changed. The addition of fall blooms, though, means that once quiet time of year for flowers has become a new season, and you can have lots of blooms to brighten your garden right before winter. But some of these new plants have limitations. They might need more sun than older types, and that may not fit the conditions in your garden. As well they are only hardy to zone 7 leaving growers in zone 6 without those gorgeous fall blooms. If that sounds like your situation, or if you are simply looking for spectacular and unique azalea colors, then the Firebrick Fame™ ReBLOOM™ Azalea is for you. Its powerful orange-red coloring is unique, and the semi-double blooms are gorgeous, hiding the foliage in their profusion, not just in spring, but again in fall. What a winner, and a fast-growing shrub that you will love.

Growing the Firebrick Fame™ ReBLOOM™ Azalea

Size and Appearance

The Firebrick Fame Azalea is a rounded, dome-shaped evergreen shrub with dense branching to the ground. It is naturally bushy, with many branches rising from the base, soon developing into a shrub 3 feet tall and wide. The small leaves are oval and covered in fine, soft hairs, and they are dark green. They are up to 2 inches long and one inch wide, and even in colder zones this bush holds it leaves well through the winter months.

Flowering takes place in April and May, and then returns in July, with some flowers through summer, and a profuse repeat of the flower display in September and October. Every branch ends in a cluster of 2 to 3 flower buds, and each individual flower lasts at least a week, so blooms cover the plant so profusely that the leaves are hidden. Each bloom is over 3 inches across, formed like an open funnel of 5 fluted, swirling petals, with a dense center of 10 to 12 more slender,curling petals, making a semi-double blossom of richness and great beauty. The blooms are a uniform orange-red color that really glows like embers, radiating warmth through your beds and across the garden. There are darker red freckles and spots in the center, bringing richness and charm to these wonderful flowers.

Using the Firebrick Fame™ ReBLOOM™ Azalea in Your Garden

The compact size and broadness of this shrub makes it perfect for the front of your beds anywhere in the garden, or for edging a path or driveway. Create a spectacular border with the Firebrick Fame Azalea alone or mixed with other colors from our ReBLOOM azalea range. Space plants 2 to 3 feet apart for a continuous flow of color. Its shade tolerance makes it a natural for planting beneath trees or in shady beds, and it also grows well in pots and planters to decorate a terrace, patio or balcony.

Hardiness

This wonderful evergreen is hardy even in zone 6, without any significant leaf drop even when temperatures plunge to minus 10F. Yet it also tolerates temperatures over 110F, growing well in zone 9, and it has good resistance to rain and winds as well.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

In zone 6 the Firebrick Fame Azalea can be grown in full sun, but in warmer areas it should have afternoon shade, and it also grows and blooms well in full shade. For azaleas that also bloom in spring and fall, but grow best in lots of sun, check out our range of Encore Azalea varieties. Like all azaleas this bush enjoys moist, well-drained soil. The best soil has plenty of organic material blended into it, and it should be acidic, with a pH value of 5.5 or less. If you don’t have suitable soil, it is usually not worth trying to lower it, which is very difficult. Instead, grow your plant in a broad, shallower pot, using potting soil for acid-loving plants. It will grow and thrive for many years in a pot or planter.

Maintenance and Pruning

Mulch over the roots in spring, keeping clear of the stems and leaves but covering all the root zone. Feed regularly with azalea or acid-plant fertilizers, especially when growing in pots. Trimming is not usually needed, and if you do want to trim your bushes, do it immediately after the spring flowering is over. If you cut the new shoots that grow in summer you will reduce or lose completely the fall blooms. It doesn’t make seed pods, so dead-heading is not needed. Pests or diseases are normally not an issue. This plant is not very drought resistant, so water regularly, especially through summer, and don’t let potted plants become dry.

History and Origin of the Firebrick Fame™ ReBLOOM™ Azalea

Robert Head comes from Seneca, North Carolina, and it took him 15 years of dedicated plant breeding to create his ReBLOOM™ Azaleas. To create this one he began with an azalea called ‘September Song’, which has bright orange, yellow and pink blooms, but only flowers in spring. He used one of his own hybrid seedlings with the code name HO-4-OL to pollinate it, and carefully studied the seedlings he grew. Among them one stood out, with richly colored blooms and a good repeat-blooming habit. He named it ‘RLH1-8P1’ and he was granted a patent on his new plant in 2014. It has been trademarked with the name Firebrick Fame™ and released as one of the select ReBLOOM™ Azalea range by Garden Debut®, a division of Greenleaf Nursery Company, a major American wholesale nursery.

Buying the Firebrick Fame™ ReBLOOM™ Azalea at The Tree Center

We love these great azaleas, and you will too. For fall color in shady areas they can’t be beaten, and the spectacular coloring of the Firebrick Fame Azalea makes it really special. Order now, because everyone is replacing their old, ‘one season’ azaleas with these beauties, and our supplies just won’t last long at all.