Azalea bushes are treasured for their ability to produce vibrant blooms in shades of pink, red white purple and more. While most azalea varieties flower only in spring, there are actually types that can bloom all year long. By choosing reblooming hybrids and providing proper care, you can enjoy azalea flowers from late winter through fall.
In this complete guide we will cover
- What makes azaleas rebloom
- The best evergreen and deciduous azalea varieties for year-round blooms
- Growing and care tips to maximize flowering
- Answers to frequently asked questions
What Allows Azaleas to Bloom All Season?
Most azaleas are spring blooming plants. They form flower buds in fall that remain dormant throughout the winter months. When daylight hours increase in spring, the buds swell and burst open into blooms.
Once that initial flush of flowers finishes, typically by early summer, they will not rebloom again until the following spring. This gives a bloom time of around 2-3 weeks.
However, some azalea varieties have the special ability to bloom repeatedly during one growing season. This is thanks to:
- Being crossed with reblooming species like Rhododendron oldhamii that can initiate new blooms on current season’s growth
- Having multiple cycles of growth and flowering per year
This genetic tendency for repeat blooming allows certain azaleas to bloom heavily in spring, take a brief rest period, and then send out a new flush of buds in summer. They will then flower again in fall before going dormant in winter.
The cycle then repeats the following spring. This gives bloom times stretching up to 6 months or more!
Best Azalea Varieties for Year-Round Flowers
If you want to enjoy azalea blooms for more than just a few weeks in spring, consider planting these top repeat blooming varieties:
Encore Azaleas
The Encore series features patented hybrids specially developed for reblooming. Popular varieties like ‘Autumn Amethyst’, ‘Autumn Bonfire’, ‘Autumn Rouge’ and others provide color from late winter through fall.
Encore azaleas bloom in spring, take a short break in summer, and then flower again in the fall months. They are evergreen shrubs ideal for zones 6-9.
Bloom-A-Thon Azaleas
Bloom-A-Thon azaleas can bloom for up to 21 weeks a year, with flowers covering spring, summer and fall. Top choices include ‘White’, ‘Pink Double’ and ‘Red’ along with other colors.
Like Encore, these are evergreen reblooming shrubs hardy to zone 6. They work well in gardens across the Southern U.S.
ReBloom Azaleas
ReBloom is another series bred specifically for reblooming. Varieties like ‘Coral Amazement’, ‘Pink Adoration’, ‘Purple Spectacular’ and more will bloom in multiple seasons.
They are compact evergreen shrubs that work well in zone 6 and warmer.
Girard Azaleas
While best known as a group of hardy evergreen azaleas, some Girard hybrids like ‘Girard’s Rose’ and ‘Girard’s Crimson’ will rebloom with a second flush of flowers in fall.
Native Azaleas
Late blooming native azaleas like the plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) often have a lighter second flush of blooms in fall after heavier spring flowering. These work well in zones 5-9.
Caring for Reblooming Azaleas
To encourage azaleas to flower abundantly and rebloom, be sure to provide:
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Sun: A sunny location with at least 6 hours of direct sun daily. Morning sun is ideal.
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Soil: Rich, acidic, well-draining soil high in organic matter. Amend clay soils at planting.
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Water: Regular irrigation during the growing season, allowing the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
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Fertilizer: Feed in early spring, then again after summer blooms fade. Use an azalea fertilizer.
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Pruning: Prune immediately after spring flowering finishes to avoid removing next season’s flower buds.
Follow these best practices for care and your azalea bushes will reward you with gorgeous flowers over many months!
Evergreen vs. Deciduous Azaleas
When selecting azaleas, it’s also important to choose between evergreen and deciduous types. Here are some key differences:
Evergreen Azaleas
- Keep green foliage year-round
- Have smaller leaves and a bushier habit
- Bloom earlier in spring
- Prefer partial shade
- Hardy in zones 6-9
Deciduous Azaleas
- Lose leaves in fall for winter dormancy
- Grow more openly with larger leaves
- Bloom later in spring
- Tolerate full sun
- Hardy in zones 4-9
While evergreens are ideal for Southern gardens, deciduous azaleas offer greater cold hardiness for northern climates. Be sure to select varieties suited for your specific growing zone.
Frequently Asked Azalea Questions
How often do azaleas bloom?
Most azaleas only bloom once a year in spring. But reblooming varieties can flower in spring, summer, and fall for months of color.
What azaleas bloom all summer?
Look for Encore, Bloom-A-Thon and ReBloom azalea varieties to get the most summer blooms. Hybrids with Rhododendron oldhamii parentage rebloom best.
Do azaleas bloom more than once?
While many only bloom in spring, reblooming hybrids will flower multiple times from late winter through fall. Choose repeat bloomers for the longest flowering.
How long do azalea blooms last?
Individual azalea blooms last around 7-10 days. But reblooming azaleas flower on and off for months!
Enjoy Months of Vibrant Azalea Color
With the right variety, proper care and ideal growing conditions, it’s possible to have azaleas blooming nearly year-round in Southern gardens.
Choose reblooming hybrids, provide excellent care through watering, fertilizing, pruning and more, and your azalea bushes will reward you with months of vibrant floral color in place of just a few weeks.
Plant the garden of your dreams with these Encore Azalea bloom times and bloom quantities charts
The azalea – the most loved spring-blooming shrub – dazzles in the landscape for 3 to 4 weeks. Encore® Azaleas, on the other hand, typically fill your landscape with 4 to 6 months of unparalleled floral beauty – demonstrating why they are number one.
To be honest, in places like the Gulf Coast and the Southern East Coast, it is not uncommon to see Encore® Azaleas blooming in the garden for 8+ months of the year. It is because Encore® Azaleas repeat bloom throughout the year, culminating in a fall crescendo worthy of a family portrait just before winter’s rest.
Encore® Azaleas now offer you 33 outstanding choices for your garden. We know with that many selections it can be somewhat confusing. So, we at Encore® have put together some bloom charts to assist with maximizing your azalea bloom for months of riveting color.
The first chart you may want to peruse is the Encore Azalea Bloom Times. We have made this pretty simple – you can pick your favorite colors and their bloom times. Let’s say your goal would be to have incredible sweeps of purple and pink, with some dashes of glistening white –the bloom time chart will help you identify early-, mid- and late-season blooms for both spring and fall. That being said, know that Encore® Azaleas have blooms in the summer, too, some varieties heavier than others.
The other chart that will help you maximize your landscape show of color is called Encore Azalea Bloom Quantity. Each Encore Azalea is wonderfully unique. This chart ranks blooming seasons – spring and fall – with quantities of blooms from light to medium to heavy.
With the goal of purple, pink and white as stated above, and using the Encore Azalea Bloom Times and Bloom Quantities charts, a design proposal could be presented with Autumn Lilac® (purple), Autumn Princess® (pink), and Autumn Ivory® (white) or Autumn Starlite® (white with pink flecks).
All of the varieties chosen above have the same dwarf growth habit. The bloom time chart tells us the white selections may begin a little earlier, but they are known to be prolific bloomers. The bloom quantities chart indicates each variety blooms heavily in spring and fall, with the exception of Lilac, which is a medium spring bloomer.
Passionate for red – so is everyone else! Go to the Encore Azalea Bloom Times chart. Autumn Bonfire® – our newest true saturated red – will probably steal your heart. It is dwarf, double blooming and starts early in the spring. White is certainly to be considered as a contrasting companion, and Autumn Ivory is the perfect partner. It, too, is dwarf and begins the season early. Also, by consulting the Encore® Azalea Bloom Quantities chart, you can ensure the bloom quantities complement one another. In this case, they do, as Autumn Bonfire™ is considered a medium-bloomer in spring, with a heavy bloom quantity in fall, while Autumn Ivory™ is heavy in both.
The Encore® Azalea Bloom Times and Encore® Azalea Bloom Quantities charts are meant to be tools to help achieve your landscape dreams. Take time to peruse the website, and you’ll find everything you need to know to be the Encore® Azalea expert of your neighborhood.
Those of us that have been growing Encore Azaleas and photographing them, sometimes feel they are always blooming. Even though the two charts are for spring and fall, know that Encore® Azaleas have blooms in the summer, too – some varieties heavier than others. Each and every year is different, as nature dictates the arrival of the seasons and the timing of rains that seem to magically rejuvenate the garden.
Yes, some of us have photographed Encore Azaleas blooming New Year’s Eve, which, you have to admit, is really no rarer than capturing s of the beautiful blooms in the middle of summer. Such is the mystery and the beauty of the Encore Azalea series of Autumn-blooming azaleas.