The term Deciduous Azalea is used here to describe those members of the genus Rhododendron that have five stamens (male flower part) and loose their leaves in the winter. The vast majority in this group are native to North America - about 15 species - and are among the most cherished and beautiful of our native shrubs. Found from Florida into southern Canada, these are not to be confused with their Asian cousins, the evergreen Azaleas, which so typify the spring landscapes of a wide swath of the more temperate parts of the US. There are three species native to Vermont, but several of the more southern natives are hardy here as well. A multitude of hybrid deciduous azaleas have bean bred over the last 200+ years, beginning in Ghent, Belgium in the early 1800’s when native North American species were introduced and crossed with one another by a baker named M. Mortier, to produce the first hybrids. Others across the continent followed and by 1850 there were more than 500 named varieties in cultivation. Over time, 100’s more have been produced in Europe, Asia and North America till present, but the vast majority of these are not rated cold hardy enough for our climate. Closer to home, around the middle of the 20th century, Frank Abbott of Bellows falls Vermont developed several cold hardy varieties able to withstand -25F or colder. He, along with the Mezzit’s of Weston Nursery in Hopkinton, MA and other breeders, have developed many cold hardy, beautiful hybrids that you will see here at Lincoln Hill Botanical Garden.

Paul Wieczoreck and a 45 year old Flame Azalea

Rhododendron calendulaceum