Dogwood Azalea

Dogwood Azalea (Rhododendron 'Dogwood') is an evergreen azalea for the shaded parts of the garden where most flowering shrubs refuse to perform. It settles at about 1.2m tall and 1.2m wide, holds its leaves all year, and carries soft white and pink blooms across the plant in spring. Frost hardy and humidity tolerant, it works from cool temperate gardens through to the subtropics.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers in shade. Dappled light under a tree, or the south side of a house, is where azaleas belong.
• Evergreen, so the bed is never bare. The foliage carries the planting through the months when the flowers have finished.
• A manageable 1.2m each way. Big enough to matter in a border, small enough to never crowd a path.
• Frost hardy and humidity tolerant at once. That combination suits cool southern courtyards and humid subtropical shade gardens equally.
• Bees and butterflies use it. The open blooms are easy for pollinators to work in spring when little else is out.

Where it works best

Shaded borders and edging. Run it along the front of a shaded bed, under established trees or against a south facing wall.

Mass planting and informal hedging. Plant 80cm apart for a continuous drift. The plants meet within two to three seasons and the flowering reads as one sheet of colour.

Pots and containers. Azaleas are among the better shrubs for pots, being shallow rooted and tolerant of confinement. Use a pot 400mm or wider with an acidic mix.

Growing Dogwood Azalea in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade is ideal, with morning sun and protection from hot afternoon sun. Full sun bleaches the leaves and shortens flowering. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate and subtropical gardens, is frost hardy once established, and copes with humidity.

Soil. This is the part people get wrong. Azaleas need acidic, free draining soil rich in organic matter. Work compost and aged pine bark through the bed, and on alkaline or clay soils plant high. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Keep the water up through the first two summers, since a shallow rooted shrub in a dry bed drops its buds. Feed twice a year with a fertiliser made for azaleas, after flowering and in late summer.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering and no later. Azaleas set next season's buds through summer, so a late cut removes the display. A light shear each year keeps the plant dense and even.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is grown in tube stock. Tubes are young plants, well under knee height, and the practical choice for a mass planting or low informal hedge where larger sizes for every position would be costly. Expect two to three seasons before the plants close together.

Tubes travel well because there is little top growth to damage, and some leaf bronzing afterwards is normal rather than a fault. Plant promptly into an acidic, well prepared bed, water in, and keep the moisture consistent through the first summer. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full azalea range
• Evergreen shrubs that hold their foliage year round
• How to repot your plants properly
• White Bouquet Azalea, for a pure white flower

Common questions

Is this azalea safe around cats and dogs?

No. All azaleas are toxic to cats and dogs, and to horses and livestock, so we never list them as pet friendly. Keep them out of areas where pets chew foliage, and contact a vet if any has been eaten.

How far apart should I plant them, and how much sun do they need?

Eighty centimetres apart for a mass planting or a low informal hedge. Part shade suits them best, ideally morning sun with protection from hot afternoon sun.

Why are the leaves yellow between green veins?

That is iron deficiency caused by soil too alkaline for an azalea. Apply iron chelates, mulch with aged pine bark, and use a fertiliser made for azaleas to bring the pH down.