Arneson Gem Azalea
Rhododendron 'Arneson Gem'
Height: 4 feet
Spread: 6 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5b
Description:
This stunning, compact evergreen shrub is bathed in clusters of beautiful orange blooms followed by yellow-green emerging foliage; an excellent choice to mass in groupings as a focal point of the garden; must have rich acidic soil
Ornamental Features
Arneson Gem Azalea is bathed in stunning clusters of lightly-scented orange trumpet-shaped flowers with white throats at the ends of the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive crimson flower buds before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The glossy narrow leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.
Landscape Attributes
Arneson Gem Azalea is an open multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Arneson Gem Azalea is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Arneson Gem Azalea will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.
