Pink Honeysuckle Azalea

Pink Honeysuckle Azalea - Rhododendron canescens

The Pink Honeysuckle Azalea is a beautiful plant native to the north shore and the southeastern United States. Its soft, pink blooms give off a sweet fragrance in the spring. This type of flowering shrub is hardy to zone 4 and has an affinity for acidic soil. Pink Honeysuckle Azaleas can tolerate soil low in pH, unlike many plants, but they struggle significantly to grow in alkaline soils. A simple mixture of peat moss, pine needles, non-limestone sand, and rich topsoil will guarantee a successful growing season for this species. The plants typically grow 5 to 8 feet tall, growing as little as 2 inches to as much as 10 inches in just one season.

One of the attractive aspects of Pink Honeysuckle Azaleas, apart from their beautiful blooms and fragrance, is their longevity. However, it is essential to realize all azaleas, rhododendrons, and mountain laurels are toxic if consumed by animals. Pink Honeysuckle Azaleas are favorite shrubs for landscaping, particularly along with the background of a garden where the plants' heights do not interfere with shorter plants in the same layout. Careful pruning, watering, and feeding will ensure the plants remain healthy and have attractive springtime blooms.

Also known as "wild azaleas," these shrubs are easily identifiable. Their leaves are alternative, clustered, and deciduous, growing 1.5 to 4 inches in length and 0.75 to 1.25 inches in width. The leaves are thick with a dark green top. The flowers that bloom before leaves have matured come in whorl-like clusters. They are trumpet-shaped and pink, but sometimes white. The flowers have about five petal-like lobes with five stamens of 1 to 1.75 inches in length that extend beyond the petals. The pink blooms stand out elegantly along the woody branches of dark, elliptical leaves. The plants are easily identified when these blooms are out, and the woods smell like a sweet, sticky honey fragrance reminiscent of springtime.