Evergreen rhododendrons: photo, description, planting and care for the most frost-resistant varieties of azaleas

The magnificent appearance of rhododendrons is difficult to overestimate. In order to successfully grow this culture in the garden, special attention should be paid to the winter hardiness of the species and varieties chosen for planting. At the same time, every gardener will be able to find an option pleasing to the eye, because there are a lot of varieties of rhododendrons that can feel comfortable in difficult climatic conditions.

From our article you will learn the names of undersized evergreen shrubs, what is their flowering time, and you can also see how frost-resistant varieties of azaleas look in the photo.

What is frost resistance?

This is the ability of the plant to survive the entire complex of stressful winter factors without dying. Namely, frost, precipitation, wind, icing, heating, thaws, etc. from late autumn to early spring.

What happens and how is it determined?

Speaking about winter hardiness, the following components can be distinguished:

• The ability of the plant to withstand during the early frosts of late autumn - early winter.
• Maximum frost resistance. Extremely low value that the plant can tolerate. It is determined by the variety.
• The ability to maintain resistance to frost during the thaw period. The plant becomes hot and dies with a subsequent decrease in temperature.
• Resistance after thaw to severe return frosts.
• Resistance to aging when the snow cover is deep.

You can evaluate winter hardiness without using laboratory methods in the following ways:

1. Glomerular assessment of wintering. In the spring, visually assess the number of overwintered plants.
2. Planting on reliefs differing from each other. Thus, frost-resistant plants are preserved on elevations, and in the lowlands they are resistant to soaking, melting and ice crust.
3. Landing on a slope directed towards the prevailing winds. Helps to calculate plants that are resistant to a natural provocative factor - the wind.
4. Artificial snow retention. Snow is accumulated near plants to assess the ability to resist digestion. Plants with natural snow accumulation serve as a control for calculating the number of overwintered plants.

How many types of street azaleas exist?

To date about 26 species of frost-resistant azaleas are grown in Russian gardens. All these species that are able to winter in our harsh conditions can be divided into evergreen, deciduous, semi-evergreen and hybrid.

Flowering period

Early varieties of frost-resistant plants are covered with luxurious flowers in April. Following them are the medium-late in May-June.

The most resistant to low temperatures

• Katevbinsky (maintains a mark of -32 degrees).
• Heliki (able to withstand temperatures of -34 degrees).
• Helsinki University (can withstand temperatures up to -39).
• Kamchatka (can withstand temperatures of -30 degrees).
• Yellow (winters well at -30).
• Karolinsky (withstands frosts down to -30).

Plants able to tolerate only a little cold

• Blurettia.
• Garden early hybrid Daursky.
• Bernstein.
• Malton Gold.
• Midnight Mystic.

Get acclimatized seedlings. To get a truly spectacular variety on your site, buy different species, not varieties. Do not buy seedlings from abroad, as in European countries the climate is milder, and the harsh conditions of our winters will result in death for a young plant.

Description and photos of evergreen varieties

Then you can read about the undersized evergreen varieties of garden azaleas, find out which ones are the most winter-hardy and see how the hardy flowers look in the photo.

Marcel Menard

Evergreen shrub with a dense crown. The leaves are very glossy, dark green, widely oval. The flower is widely bell-shaped. In the inflorescence of 9-18 dark purple flowers with a golden pattern in the center. Marcel Menard has good winter hardiness. Withstands up to -25 degrees.

A flower overwinter in the snow, but in the middle lane the plant is recommended to be covered.

Hybrid Brazil

A low evergreen shrub of a round shape, densely branched. Height up to 1.5 m. The leaves are oval, dark green, shiny. The flowers are orange-pink with a curly edge. Variety Hybrid Brazil has excellent winter hardiness and can withstand temperatures up to -24 degreesbut for the winter you need to protect from sunlight.

Erato

Erato is an evergreen shrub up to 1.5 m high with a wide crown. Spreading shoots are directed upwards. The leaves are elliptical in shape, large, dark green, leathery. The flowers are dark red, with slightly corrugated edges. Winter hardiness up to -27 degrees.

In the Urals, the plant must be protected from frost.

Lita

Evergreen shrub. Height 2-2.5 m. The leaves are dense, wide, dark green. The flowers are purple-pink with olive green spots on the upper petal. The diameter of the flower is 7 cm. The edges are slightly corrugated. The flowers are collected in dense hemispherical inflorescences and reach 12 cm in diameter. Winter hardiness of a grade to -35 degrees.

Alfred

Alfred is an evergreen shrub with a compact crown up to 1.2 m high. The leaves are oblong - elliptical, large, leathery, dark green, shining from above, lighter from below. Flowers with a diameter of up to 6 cm. Purple-red with a yellow-greenish spot are collected in dense inflorescences of 15-20 pieces. Winter hardiness is good. It can withstand temperatures down to -25 degrees.

Libretto

Compact dome-shaped bush up to 1.3 m high. Large foliage. The flowers are saturated with a raspberry-violet hue with large olive-brown spots inside. The petals are wavy at the edges. Winter-hardy. Frost resistance is defined as -26 degrees.

Chanel

Deciduous shrub 1.5-2m high. The leaves are dark green with a slight pubescence. Bell flowers of a soft pink hue with a yellow splash. Winter-hardy. Withstands negative readings of the thermometer up to -27 degrees.

The plant does not like strong drafts and winds.

Elsie lee

Compact vertical bush up to 80 cm high. Flowers in shape resemble bells 6 cm in diameter. Terry flowers of lavender color with a small dark purple pattern on the upper petal. In inflorescences of 2-3 flowers at the ends of the shoots. Winter-hardy. Withstands temperatures up to -25 degrees.

Gibraltar

Spreading densely growing shrub 1.5-2 m tall. Leaves when blooming bronze, after dark green. In early autumn, the leaves acquire a crimson-red color, then yellow-orange. The flowers are red-orange in the shape of a bell with a corrugated edge, collected in inflorescences of 5-10 pieces, with a diameter of 8 cm. Winter-hardy. It can withstand temperatures up to -26 degrees.

Anneke

Medium-sized shrub with a wide crown. The leaves are dark green, in the beginning of autumn they turn raspberry red, then yellow-orange. Winter-hardy. Able to withstand temperatures up to -27 degrees.

Pink amoyena

Erect shrub with compact crown. 1.5-2 m high. The leaves are oblong-elliptical in shape, 3-7 cm long. Bluish-green in color. Pink flowers. In inflorescences of 5-9 flowers. Winter-hardy. Resistant to temperature drops of -25 degrees.

Humboldt

Compact evergreen shrub 1.5-2m tall. Strongly branched. The leaves are oblong-elliptical in shape, shiny, dark green above, paler below. Leathery, up to 12 cm long. Flowers with a diameter of 8 cm are delicate, purplish-pink color with a black-red spot. Collected in dense inflorescences of 15-18 pieces. Winter-hardy. Withstands temperatures up to -26 degrees. Winters under light shelter (leaf and spruce branches).

Stupid

Small evergreen sprawling bush. The leaves are glossy dark green. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 3 cm long. Winter hardiness is good. Cold resistance is defined as medium. Withstands -20 degrees.

Creeping Scarlet Vander

Low-growing evergreen shrub 40-60 cm. The crown is wide. The leaves are shiny, green in a young plant, later becoming dark green. 3-7 cm in length.

Kalsap

A wide ripe bush 1.3-1.5 m high. Snow-white flowers with a large and bright burgundy spot. Winter hardiness is good. Differs in the increased frost resistance to -30 degrees.

Bernstein

Evergreen wide-round shrub up to 1.5 m high. The leaves are elongated, dark green, leathery. Funnel-shaped flowers, delicate yellow-peach in color with an orange spot. Winter hardiness is moderate. Withstands temperatures up to -18 degrees.

Malton Gold

Compact evergreen shrub up to 150 cm high. The leaves are variegated, dark green and yellow. The flowers are pink-purple in the shape of bells. Winter hardiness is average. A temperature below -15 degrees the plant can not stand.

Blue peter

Spherical undersized shrub 80-150 cm high. Very shiny dark green foliage. The flowers are lilac-blue with burgundy spots inside. Winter hardiness is good. The plant is not afraid of temperatures up to -24 degrees.

It is recommended to protect the flower from the wind.

Sarina

Evergreen spreading shrub 120 cm high. The leaves are relatively small, medium-green, shiny, hard and leathery to the touch. The flowers are very large, bright, orange-red. Winter hardiness is good. The plant withstands -26 degrees.

Azurro

Evergreen uniformly developed compact bush with a spherical crown. Height is up to 1.2 m. Bright green leathery leaves are covered with scales. The flowers are dark purple with burgundy spots near the golden core. Collected in inflorescences with a diameter of 10-12 cm. Winter hardiness is average. This variety withstands frosts down to -23 degrees. We wrote more about this variety here.

Rhododendron Azurro needs shelter for the winter.

Wren

Applies to undersized varieties. It reaches a height of only 20-30 cm. The flowers are lemon yellow. Winter-hardy. Able to survive at temperatures up to - 28 degrees.

Princess anna

Compact variety, maximum plant height 70 cm. Small foliage. The young shoots are brown-green, later light green. The flowers are small, pale lemon. Winter hardiness is good. Favorable temperatures up to -26 degrees.

The charm

Shrub with unusual flowers resembling an orchid in appearance. Winter hardiness is good. Adapted to survive at temperatures up to -26 degrees.

Tortoiseshell orange

A bush of dense structure, the height of which does not exceed 1.5 m. The flowers are large, pink-orange, collected in inflorescences of 5-7 pieces. The variety is characterized by good winter hardiness and withstands up to -25 degrees.

For successful wintering and abundant flowering requires additional shelter for the winter.

Hybrid Midnight Mystic

The bush is 80-100cm high. Elliptic leaves, green. The flowers are white with a purple border and burgundy. Winter hardiness up to -18 degrees.

Dagmar

Evergreen bush up to 110 cm high. Flowers with a diameter of 8 cm. White with pink highlights. On the inside of the upper petal is a delicate lime speck. Collected in inflorescences of 12-14 flowers. Belongs to highly winter resistant grades. Withstands temperatures up to -28 degrees.

Percy Weisman

Widely branched compact shrub with a height of not more than 1 m. The leaves are elliptical, glossy, medium green. The flowers are funnel-shaped, creamy white with yellow highlights in the throat and a delicate pink blush along the edge. Inflorescences spherical in 13-15 flowers. Medium-hardy. Percy Weisman's frost resistance is up to -21 degrees.

Finnish selection

A group of varieties of evergreen rhododendrons. Very popular because of their high winter hardiness. Able to withstand extremely low temperatures from -29 to -40 degrees.

Fireworks

Strictly vertical dense shrub up to 1.8m high. The leaves are bright green, shiny. In the fall they turn yellow-red. The flowers are fiery red with a red tint, very large, with twisted edges. Winter hardiness is average: up to -25 degrees. Needs shelter for the winter, protection from the winter wind.

Buzuki

Compact evergreen shrub 1-1.2 m high with unusual leaves - oblong, spiky, with a bright edge and noticeable veins. Large flowered. The flowers are fiery red. Winter-hardy. Survives at temperatures up to -26 degrees

Vasaia Zone

Shrub 1.5 m high with a wide-spreading crown. The leaves are oblong, bare, dark green above and light green below. In the fall they get a crimson hue. The flowers are pale pink with orange specks. Winter-hardy. Withstands winter temperature drops to -26 degrees.

Marushka

Dense compact undersized bush up to 45 cm high.Leaves are brilliant deep dark green. The flowers are saturated, bright crimson. Average frost resistance - up to -22 degrees.

Landing

Favorable place - light partial shade from tall trees. Best neighbors: spruce, larch, pine. Rhododendron loves acidic soils. Planting frost-resistant azaleas is best done in cloudy and damp weather.

If the bush is planted in a permanent place with buds, it is better to remove them so that the plant is better rooted.

Care

Caring for rhododendron in spring and summer is:

• regular watering;
• top dressing;
• pruning
• spraying;
• disease prevention.

Autumn is also disease prevention and proper watering., plus mulching and, if necessary, protection with covering material.

Even the residents of those regions where the climate is not mild can become the owner of a luxurious rhododendron in their garden. It is enough to choose a winter-hardy variety that can withstand all the vicissitudes of a harsh snowy winter.

Watch the video: The Best Mulch for Azaleas (May 2024).