Goyet Azalea

Goyet Azalea (Azalea indica 'Goyet', botanically a Rhododendron) is the classic shade shrub that carries a wall of deep pink to red flowers when the garden most needs it. It grows to about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide, evergreen and densely branched, with the flowers covering the plant rather than dotting it. Give it filtered light and acid soil that drains, and it repeats this every year.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers you cannot see past. Deep pink to red blooms cover the whole shrub for weeks in the cooler part of the year.
• It performs in shade. Filtered light under established trees or on a south facing wall is exactly where it belongs, and few plants this showy will fill that spot.
• A contained size. About 1.5m each way makes it workable as a feature shrub, a low informal hedge or a large pot plant.
• Evergreen and wildlife friendly. Dense small leaves keep it reading as structure once the flowers finish, and the open blooms feed bees and butterflies.

Where it works best

Shaded feature and border planting. One plant under a high canopy, or a run along a shaded fence, gives the strongest effect. Keep it out of afternoon sun.

Informal hedging and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a low hedge or a solid block of colour. At that spacing the shrubs meet within two to three seasons.

Pots and courtyards. A 400mm pot of acidic mix suits it, and a container is the simplest answer if your soil is alkaline. Potted azaleas dry out quickly, so watering has to be consistent.

Growing Goyet Azalea in Australia

Position and climate. Filtered light, or morning sun with afternoon shade. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate and subtropical gardens and tolerates humidity better than many azaleas. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and tableland gardens need a sheltered position or a pot that can be moved.

Soil. Acidic, free draining and rich in organic matter. This is the one thing azaleas will not compromise on: in alkaline soil the leaves yellow between the veins and the plant stalls. Amend the bed with compost and an acidic mix, or grow it in a container.

Water and feed. Azaleas are shallow rooted and dry out before deeper shrubs do. Water regularly in warm weather and keep 75mm of mulch over the root zone, clear of the stem. Feed after flowering with a fertiliser made for azaleas.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering, before next season's buds set. A light shape each year keeps it dense; pruning late removes the flowers you were waiting for.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in four sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six and 250mm in packs of three. Tubes are the value option for a long hedge, while the 200mm and 250mm plants give a recognisable shrub and often flower in their first season with you.

Plants usually arrive in leaf rather than in flower, and buds can drop after transit without lasting harm. Plant into prepared acidic soil, water in well, and expect two seasons of steady growth before it fills its space. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete azalea care guide
• Browse the full azalea range
• How to lower soil pH for acid loving plants
• Compare other flowering shrubs for the garden

Common questions

Is it safe around pets?

No. All parts of an azalea are toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten, and small amounts can cause serious illness. Choose something else if you have an animal that chews plants.

Why are the leaves yellowing between the veins?

That is iron deficiency, and in an azalea it almost always means the soil pH is too high. Correct it with an acidic soil conditioner and an azalea and camellia fertiliser.

When should I prune it?

Immediately after flowering. Next season's buds form on growth made through the warmer months, so a late trim cuts them off and you lose the following display.