10 Japanese azaleas with pink flowers
Lovely evergreen shrubs that are very floriferous.
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Azaleas and Rhododendrons are well known among ericaceous plant enthusiasts for their spectacular flowering. Azaleas are easier to grow, more modest in size, and simpler to install in the garden. In borders, at the front of beds, or in pots, the Japanese Azalea adds structure and vibrant blooms. The Japanese Azalea is evergreen, unlike the Chinese Azalea. It forms a bush ranging from 50 cm to over 1 m depending on the variety and is most often covered in spring with flowers that are typically pink or red, but can also be white or mauve. It thrives in partial shade, sheltered from winds and the scorching midday sun, in cool, well-drained, humus-bearing, and non-calcareous soil. It can also be grown in pots. With a rounded, sometimes slightly spreading habit, it naturally maintains its structured appearance as it grows.
Discover 10 varieties of Japanese Azaleas in shades of pink, an iconic colour of the Azalea.
Japanese Azalea 'Kirin'
In March and April, a multitude of small bell-shaped flowers adorn the Japanese Azalea ‘Kirin’. In a charming fresh and bright satin pink, the 3 cm flower appears double with its corolla of numerous petals. Its heart is veined with deep pink, like its long stamens. A variety of fairly small size, early, reaching 1 m in all directions at ripeness and with slow growth, this Azalea offers a rounded and tidy habit, very attractive as a border or on the terrace in partial shade. Its small, ovate leaves are a bright, glossy green. It is classified in USDA zone 8a, making it hardy down to -12°C.
Plant it alone in a carefully chosen beautiful pot that it will fill for a long time. Alternatively, try your hand at the art of bonsai with this variety that lends itself well to it. You can also grow it indoors.
Azalea ‘Kirin’
Japanese Azalea 'Izumi no Mai'
Hardy, in USDA zone 7a, or -18°C, ‘Izumi no Mai’ is a robust, compact, and floriferous variety. Its 5 cm funnel-shaped flowers open in May, featuring petals edged in rose-red on a white throat. Its medium green, glossy foliage disappears under the avalanche of flowers for 3 weeks mid-season. Of modest size, it reaches 75 cm by 50 cm at ripeness, offering a dense and spreading habit, well-ramified.
Plant it in a cool, shaded rockery, alongside Heathers, Japanese Camellias, Camelia sasanqua, and Chinese Azaleas, which are deciduous and provide beautiful autumn colours, to extend the flowering period.
The Azalea ‘Izumi no Mai’
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Japanese Azalea 'Peggy Ann'
Smaller cultivar, measuring 60 cm in all directions, the pink Japanese Azalea ‘Peggy Ann’ blooms in May. Its bicoloured flowers, measuring 5 cm, in pastel tones completely cover dark, glossy foliage. Gathered in terminal clusters, the base of the petal and the long stamens are white, adding brightness to the pale pink corolla infused with mauve. Edged in magenta pink, with a slightly green centre, the flower is refined. Rated in USDA zone 7b, this Azalea is hardy down to -15°C.
Plant it under a Japanese Maple with Heucheras in rosy hues, for example. Its neat habit adds structure.
The Azalea ‘Peggy Ann’
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Japanese azaleas: the best varietiesJapanese Azalea 'Ho Oden'
Original, ‘Ho Eden’ stands out with a maculate design of intense violet on its white petals infused with pale pink. In April and May, the plant, reaching 70 cm in width at maturity, covers its glossy foliage with these bright and sophisticated flowers, grouped in generous bouquets. It is a hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to -12 to -15 °C, which corresponds to USDA zone 7a. Plant it in a bright location, but out of direct sunlight or in the north without shade. Protect it from cold, dry winds.
Install it at the edge of a border of ericaceous plants alongside Pieris (Japanese Andromedas) and Kalmias. It dresses the border year-round and enlivens it in spring with its colourful flowers.
The Azalea ‘Ho Oden’
Japanese Azalea 'Koromo Shikibu'
Of unknown origin, the Azalea ‘Koromo Shikibu’ is adorned in spring with curious, finely crafted flowers in an unusual rose-mauve colour. Maculate with a few purple spots, the petals are slender and elongated, creating a light and delicate ensemble. This Azalea, slightly fragrant, blooms in March, April, and possibly again in autumn. Its dark green leaves take on lovely red-purple hues in winter. What a treasure! The Azalea ‘Koromo Shikibu’ forms a spreading bush of 80 cm in all directions at maturity. In USDA zone 8a, hardy down to -10 °C, it requires a bright location, without direct sunlight and sheltered.
Plant it with Heathers, Dicentra (bleeding heart), and a Rhododendron linearifolium with similarly crafted flowers, in the foreground of the bed.
The Azalea ‘Koromo Shikibu’
The groundcover Azalea 'Pink Cascade'
Here is an astonishing Japanese Azalea: the Azalea nakaharae ‘Pink Cascade’ features a prostrate habit that gives it groundcover qualities for an unusual form among Azaleas. Well-ramified, it ultimately covers an area of 1 m² on the ground, reaching a height of approximately 40 cm, with dark, glossy foliage that is attractive. It blooms in early summer, in June and July, with numerous flowers measuring 4 cm, in a vibrant pink, sometimes tinged with orange. It withstands frosts of -10 to -12 °C and is classified in USDA zone 8a.
Fill free spaces in cool, shaded rockeries with ‘Pink Cascade’ in combination with ericaceous plants or under a large Rhododendron, for example.
The Azalea ‘Pink Cascade’
Japanese Azalea 'Star Style Pink'
Unusual, the pink Azalea ‘Star Style Pink’ is remarkable for more than one reason: very original flowering, repeat flowering, decorative foliage. Its frilly flowers with very fine petals are star-shaped and pink. They bloom twice a year, in autumn and then in spring. Its narrow foliage on a small, compact, round bush is almost as decorative as its large 10 cm flowers. At maturity, it reaches only 50 cm in height and 50 cm in spread. The bright pink flowers appear in October and then in May. The leaves emerge light green and darken in summer. It withstands temperatures down to -12°C, USDA zone 8a.
Consider planting it in a contemporary garden with beautiful foliage from Lonicera nitida (Box honeysuckle) and Coprosma, along with a gravel mulch. It also fits beautifully in a Japanese or classic garden and on the terrace.
The Azalea ‘Star Style Pink’
Japanese Azalea 'Gilbert Mullie'
Larger, the Japanese Azalea ‘Gilbert Mullie’ has a somewhat spreading, parasol-like habit, wider than tall, reaching about 90 cm in height and 1 m in width. Very floriferous, it produces numerous 4 cm flowers in April and May, displaying a lovely fresh pink colour, lightly maculate with purple. The dark green foliage takes on bronze highlights. Hardy to at least -15° C, it is classified in USDA zone 7a.
Its lovely fresh pink makes it suitable for romantic or Japanese-themed settings alongside Columbines, Anemones, and Hellebores. Also plant interesting foliage such as that of ferns and Brunneras.
The Azalea ‘Gilbert Mullie’
Japanese Azalea 'Jewel'
Encore Azaleas bloom 2 to 3 times a year and can be grown in both full sun and partial shade. ENCORE ‘Jewel’ is one of their most vigorous specimens. It forms a rounded bush of 1.20 m in all directions, featuring decorative light green foliage in spring that turns dark green, and simple flowers measuring 5 to 6 cm in a bold, intense pink. Classified in USDA zones 7b or 8a, it withstands frost down to -12 to -15° C. It enlivens the garden for months, flowering from March to June and then again in September and October. If the weather is warm and pleasant enough, it can even bloom in the height of summer, in July and August, provided the soil is fertile enough to support its successive flowerings. It grows slightly faster than traditional Japanese azaleas.
As it tolerates sun, plant it in the background of a sunnier bed composed of Heathers, Spurge, and a Japanese Cherry.
The ENCORE ‘Jewel’ Azalea
Japanese Azalea 'Vuyk's Rosyred'
Finish with an old variety that has proven itself, awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society. A Dutch variety, as its name suggests, ‘Vuyk’s Rosyred’ boasts large 7 cm flowers on a beautiful bush with a spreading habit, reaching 1 m in height at ripeness and 1.50 m in width. It blooms in May and June, for a lovely period, overwhelming classic, leathery, and glossy foliage. Its flowers are satin-like, more pink than red, intense, enhanced by a carmine throat. It is hardy down to -15° C, classifying it, like many of its peers, in USDA zone 7b.
Pair it with Magnolias, Sarcococcas, and Mahonias. Consider Carex, Hostas, and spring bulbs at its feet to accompany it.
The Azalea ‘Vuyk’s Rosyred’
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