Orchid Lights Azalea (Rhododendron x ‘Orchid Lights’)

If you live north of the Mason-Dixon line there is a good chance you only see Azaleas when you’re watching the Master’s golf tournament on television. (The fabled Augusta National Golf Course is world-renowned for its Azalea display that photographs so well for the tournament.)

Now, we can’t guarantee that we can make your garden look like Augusta National, but we are proud to introduce you to an outstanding Azalea that you can enjoy in your own garden! Then allow us to introduce you to the Orchid Lights Azalea (Rhododendron x ‘Orchid Lights’)!

Every spring Orchid Lights covers itself with large clusters of orchid-purple flowers that are huge for Azaleas – up to 1 1/2 inches across! Quickly covered in butterflies and beneficial pollinators, the gorgeous blossoms will light up your garden!

Part of the Northern Lights™ Series, this more compactly growing selection only gets about 2 to 3 feet tall and about the same in width. Orchid Lights is a dwarf mounded shrub that can live for upwards of 40 years, so while they may not be the fastest-growing, these are in it for the long haul!

Rising above the stems, before the green foliage emerges in spring, Orchid Lights is just smothered in stunning clusters of gorgeous trumpet-shaped lavender flowers! Each lovely curled petal is spotted with adorable fuchsia freckles that sparkle in the sunlight!

The fantastic green leaves emerge after the flowers and hold on until hard frosts return, taking on a wonderful bronzy-purple hue before dropping in winter.

How to Use Orchid Lights Azalea In The Landscape

Sublime foundation plants, Orchid Lights Azaleas lighten the early spring landscape and add a burst of color and curb appeal to your home!

The lustrous green foliage makes it an excellent accent plant, or for mass plantings to really draw the eye with that spring display! Mixing wonderfully with other mid-sized shrubs along rock walls and fences where they will be protected.

Add to perimeter plantings as a lovely screen or hedge for privacy. Orchid Lights Azalea is a natural addition as an understory planting beneath large trees, shady groves and on the verges of wildlands or naturalistic landscapes.

A traditional choice for Asian-inspired gardens, the soothing color makes Orchid Lights a beacon in the landscape and a perfect focal point for reflecting pools and water gardens.

Plant several to anchor a perennial and mixed-shrub planting or borders. Wonderful in groupings to create garden vignettes or as low-privacy hedges. Orchid Lights is also beautiful as a stand-alone specimen plant!

Perfectly sized for patio pots and balcony containers, Azalea is easy-care and low maintenance, fitting neatly among a wide range of other ornamental plants. Loving acidic soils, Orchid Lights work great among larger trees as an underplanting and mixing among evergreen shrubs.

• Lavender-Orchid-Colored Blooms
• Large Clusters Each Spring & Darker Fuschia Speckles on Petals
• One of the Earliest in the Northern Lights™ Series to bloom
• Dwarf Compact Deciduous Shrub
• Hummingbirds, Butterflies & Pollinators!
• Compact & Rounded Form
• Bronzy Purple Fall Color
• Wonderful Foundation Plant

Tips For Care

Orchid Lights Azalea is best grown in acidic, organically enriched soil. The Azalea Orchid Lights is one of the Northern Lights™ series of very cold-hardy Azaleas bred in Minnesota. and the earliest to bloom in spring! It was designed in order to bring this glorious warm-climate shrub all the way into zone 4!

Azalea requires medium moisture but well-drained soils in part shade. Morning sun with afternoon shade is advised for warmer growing zones, they love filtered sunlight or light shade, although they do fine in full sun in cool summer areas.

Acidify soils as needed and do not allow their root systems to dry out or sit in water. Poor drainage will lead to root rot in Azalea, therefore raised beds or berming is best. If puddles remain on your soil after rain or watering, consider elevating the planting area. Add 18 – 24 inches of soil above the native soil line and plant your tree directly in that mound.

Don’t prune Azaleas after mid-summer because those branches produce the next season’s flowers but do deadhead as soon as the blooms in spring are done for a clean, tidy look.

A generous layer of mulch helps retain soil moisture as well as insulate the fibrous root system from heat and chill. Plant Azalea in a location protected from strong winds and drying northern winds in colder growing zones.

• Full Sun & Partial Shade
• Thrives in Moist Soil!
• Supremely Cold Hardy!
• Prune After Flowering Only
• Dwarf Deciduous Shrub

No matter whether you’re a “Master” or not, Orchid Lights will make your gardening skill look like a pro!