Purple Glitters Azalea

Purple Glitters Azalea (Rhododendron 'Purple Glitters') is a Kurume azalea that covers itself in small purple flowers with pink tones through spring, then settles back to a neat evergreen shrub about 1.2m each way. Kurume types carry smaller leaves and denser twiggy growth than the big Indica azaleas, which is why they hold a shape without much work. For colour in a part shaded bed, this is one of the reliable ones.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers that hide the plant. The spring display is dense enough that the foliage almost disappears for two to three weeks.
• Dense and evergreen the rest of the year. Small leaves and tight branching mean it still reads as a proper shrub once the flowers finish.
• A useful size. At around 1.2m each way it fits under a window, in a large pot or along the front of a bed without hard reducing.
• Frost hardy and humidity tolerant. An unusual combination that lets the same plant work in a cool temperate garden and a humid subtropical one.

Where it works best

Feature planting and borders. A single plant near a path or a seat gives a defined spring event. Along the front of a bed, space at 80cm.

Mass planting and low hedging. At 80cm apart a run of these gives a continuous band of colour in spring and a solid green edge the rest of the year. Trim lightly rather than shearing it flat.

Pots and courtyards. A 400mm pot with an acidic mix holds one for years, and container growing lets you control the soil, which is what azaleas care about most.

Worth knowing before you order: azaleas are toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten.

Growing Purple Glitters Azalea in Australia

Position and climate. Dappled light, or morning sun with afternoon shade, gives the best flowering and stops the leaves bleaching. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate and subtropical gardens and is frost hardy once established. Hot dry inland positions defeat it, because it wants humidity around the foliage.

Soil. This is the part that decides success. Azaleas need acidic, free draining soil rich in organic matter. Work compost and aged pine bark through the bed, plant slightly high, and keep 75mm of mulch over the roots.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first two summers and never let it dry out completely, since the roots sit near the surface. Feed a fertiliser for acid loving plants after flowering and in late summer.

Pruning. Trim straight after the spring flowers finish. Next year's buds form over summer, so a late cut removes the following display. Light annual shaping is all it needs.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is supplied as tube stock, so you are buying a young rooted plant, usually ankle height with a handful of branches rather than a finished shrub. Expect two to three years to reach 60cm to 80cm, and the first proper display in the second spring.

Tubes travel well and establish fast, provided they are planted quickly and never dry out in their first summer. A single tube will not reach the minimum order of $300 before delivery, so most customers order a run for a border. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, with our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete azalea care guide
• Browse the full azalea range
• How to make your soil more acidic
• More plants for part shaded beds

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Eighty centimetres apart for a low informal hedge or a massed border. As single feature plants, 1.2m apart gives each shrub room to show its shape.

Why are the leaves yellow between the veins?

Almost always alkaline soil locking up iron, common near concrete and limed ground. Apply iron chelates for a quick correction, then fix the cause with acidic fertiliser and pine bark mulch.

Is it safe around pets?

No. Every part of an azalea is toxic to cats, dogs and horses, and even small amounts cause vomiting. Choose something else if your pet chews plants.