Group/Class:  Kurume Hybrids

Description:

Pretty salmon pink blooms with tiny, deep pink spots cover this attractive mounded shrub in mid spring; ideal when massed in borders or foundation plantings; absolutely must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil

Ornamental Features

Shin Utena Azalea is covered in stunning clusters of lightly-scented salmon trumpet-shaped flowers with white overtones and hot pink spots at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring before the leaves. It has forest green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The small glossy oval leaves remain forest green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Shin Utena Azalea is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Shin Utena Azalea is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Shin Utena Azalea will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.