“Irene Koster” azalea. Now is the time to buy these plants, when they are in full bloom.

“Irene Koster” azalea. Now is the time to buy these plants, when they are in full bloom.

Here are eight amazing azaleas no garden should be without

These deciduous shrubs have few equal for color and fragrance. Curiously, many Northwest gardeners overlook them.

When gardeners talk about azaleas (which, botanically speaking, are actually rhododendrons), they usually think of evergreen foliage.

But there is a whole other exciting group of azaleas that, while they lose their leaves in winter, have incredible hot yellow, orange, salmon or red flowers in spring, and great fall foliage color in the autumn. Many of them also have strong fragrance and happily grow in full sun in our Northwest climate.

Growing 5 to 6 feet tall, they are best planted toward the back of the bed where the bright floral displays will show up above the lower plants in front. They are relatively care-free, with occasional pruning required to shape and thin their growth.

Very few deciduous shrubs can equal deciduous azaleas for showiness and color range, not to mention fragrance. Even so, not many people utilize them in their yards. Coming in a 1- to 5-gallon pot in garden centers, these wonderful shrubs don”t have a whole lot of magnetism — except for their fabulous blooms, of course. They can look leggy and misshapen when they are young and their blooms can be sparse, but give them a chance to get established in your garden and you will wonder why you didn”t plant some years ago.

When I purchased my house and the garden center way back in 1989, there were some of these azaleas planted next to our driveway. At the time I wasn”t familiar with them and since it was late August, they weren”t really much to look at. But in the fall, they turned a vibrant bronzy-red color and the following spring they burst into bloom with the most sweetly scented fragrance of any plant I have ever known.

That particular variety in my yard (it is still there, by the way) is one known as “Irene Koster,” which boasts pale yellow/blushed pink flowers that are highly fragrant. While Irene is soft and pleasing, as I mentioned above, many deciduous azaleas are brassy with hot yellows, oranges, corals and reds — these flavors are not for the faint of heart. They will warm up your garden in no time flat, and because they bloom before their leaves emerge, the entire bush will be enveloped in color from head to toe.

Here is a sampling of some of the more common varieties that you should be able to find at most garden centers.

“Arneson Gem”: This variety displays red buds opening to striking yellow-orange fragrant flowers. There are several colors in the “Arneson” series and they all tend to be a bit more compact than others, growing in the 3- to 4-foot range, and they also show good mildew resistance. You can’t lose with any of the variations.

“Mandarin Lights”: Flowers are ruffled bright mandarin/orange with a light fragrance.

“Lilac Lights”: This variety is blanketed in stunning clusters of lilac-purple trumpet-shaped flowers with fuchsia spots at the ends of the branches.

“Golden Lights”: This selection provides a massive display of brilliant, golden yellow single blooms.

“Electric Lights Red”: This newest introduction in the “Lights” series is absolutely covered in true fire engine-red flowers that have that unmistakable azalea fragrance.

The above four selections are from the “Northern Lights” series, and were bred for added hardiness and overall durability. Since hardiness is not an issue in the Pacific Northwest, we have more selections to choose from, and the below varieties perform very well for us in our maritime climate while showing a nice compact growth habit, topping out at 4 feet tall and as wide.

“Gibraltar”: This beauty has clusters of large, deep coppery-orange flowers. The petals are fringed and wonderfully fragrant.

“Klondyke”: An extremely hardy selection that provides a massive display of vibrant, golden yellow, single blooms with lush, bronze-tinged green foliage.

“Fragrant Star”: Named for its extremely aromatic, large, five-petaled, snowy white flowers that top the blue-green foliage.

All of these azaleas will appreciate a little rhododendron food in the spring and a light dressing of mulch. Supplemental water in the heat of the summer is a nice thing to do as well, not essential but you will get better bud set if you apply some summer water.

Now is the time to buy these plants when they are in full bloom and you can check out their true flower colors, instead of trying to rely on a picture tag that might be faded. Just remember that despite the fact that they may look homely in a nursery pot, they will develop into one of your favorite shrubs in a few short years.

Stay safe, and keep on gardening!

Steve Smith is the owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, and can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.