Azalea japonica Blue Moon

Japanese Azalea 'Blue Moon' is a slow-growing evergreen bush, remaining compact at maturity. It is adorned with beautiful, dark green, evergreen foliage. This variety is distinguished by its late flowering, which does not bloom until June, allowing the flowering season to be extended when planted alongside other Azaleas. It produces numerous single, light pink flowers with a very slight hint of mauve.

Azalea belongs to the vast Ericaceae family, which includes nearly a hundred genera highly prized in ornamental gardens. Among them are all the Heathers (Erica, Calluna, Daboecia…), the less widespread Enkianthus, known as campanulate Andromeda, or the Blueberry Bush and the Strawberry Tree, known for their decorative and edible fruits. The Rhododendron genus, to which the Azalea belongs, alone brings together nearly 850 species: around 300 develop in tropical regions (the Vireyas group), while the others thrive in temperate to cold climates. These plants can take the form of small shrubs, bushes or even trees reaching up to 15 m in height. To this natural diversity is added a multitude of varieties and hybrids created by passionate horticulturists. It is, in fact, they who created the distinction between Rhododendron and Azalea, since in botanical classification, all are Rhododendrons.
This Japanese Azalea is a hybrid variety whose parents are not precisely known. The slow-growing bush forms a compact clump a little wider than tall after 10 years, measuring only 60 cm in height with a 70 cm spread. At maturity, it will not exceed one metre in any direction, making it an ideal subject for small gardens and container cultivation. The vegetation consists of small, elliptical leaves with a pointed tip, generally measuring 2 to 4 cm in length. The leaf blade is slightly hairy around its edge and has a deep, dark green colour with a glossy surface. The evergreen foliage is attractive all year round, and it showcases the lighter flowering well. This flowering is later than in most varieties, waiting until June before blooming. As with other Azaleas, it is then spectacular in its abundance and brilliance. Single flowers approximately 5 cm in diameter then colonise the ends of the branches, developing in cymes composed of several flowers. As is often the case with intermediate tones, their exact colour is difficult to name, somewhere between light pink, heliotrope pink and mauve pink. The corollas have spots ranging from a darker pink to a coppery beige, while five stamens and a pistil with a yellow tip emerge from the centre. The flowering lasts about three weeks.

The flowering of Azalea Blue Moon is imbued with romantic charm, and its compactness allows it to be placed anywhere. It can also easily be kept in a container; in fact, this is a must if the soil is calcareous, as it needs an acidic substrate. Plant it in partial shade in a bed of ericaceous plants. To maintain a poetic tone, choose complementary plants, such as the small Magnolia stellata 'Rosea', with star-shaped, pale pink flowers that are utterly charming in March-April. To create a link with your Azalea, plant Andromeda polifolia 'Nikko' at the edge of your bed, a dwarf shrub that blooms in small, very pale pink bells from April to June. And to animate the summer, you will be spoilt for choice among the immense range of Hydrangeas, which offer an incredible variety of shapes and colours.