2006 Rhododendron of the Year Awards

Elepidote Rhododendron: 'Bravo!' R. catawbiense white form x [R. fortunei x (R. arboreum ssp arboreum x R. griffithianum)] Flower light purplish pink shading lighter in center, sparse brown spotting, campanulate, 2⅝" across,. Ball-shaped truss holds 11-12 flowers. Blooms late midseason. Leaves elliptic, apiculate apex, rounded base, flat, 6" long, semi-glossy, dark green. Grows to a typical height of 5 ft. in 10 yrs. Compact growth habit. Prefers some shade to prolong flower color. Cold hardy to -25° F (-32° C). Hybridized by Leach.
	Photo by Boris Bauer

	Lepidote Rhododendron: 'April Rose' [(R. minus var. minus Carolinianum Group x R. mucronulatum 'Cornell Pink')] x [R. dauricum white form x R. dauricum] Flower purplish red, widely funnel-shaped, double, 1½" to 2" across, slightly fragrant. Terminal truss hold 3 to 4 flowers. Blooms early. Leaves elliptic, acute apex, cuneate base, flat, 2" to 4" long, deep green, turn reddish-bronze in fall. Broad, upright habit. Grows to a typical height of 3 ft. in 10 yrs. Cold hardy to -25° F (-32° C). Hybridized by Mehlquist.
Photo by William Spohn

Evergreen Azalea: 'Girard's Hot Shot' R. 'El Capitan' x R. 'Aladdin' Flower dark reddish-orange with dark red or maroon spotting, openly funnel-shaped, wavy lobed, about 2½" across. Ball-shaped truss holds 3 - 5 flowers. Blooms midseason. Leaves broadly elliptic to ovate, mucronate apex, rounded base, about 1" long, glossy, retained 3 years. Rounded, well-branched plant habit. Typically grows to a height of 2 ft. in 8 years. Cold hardy to -15° F (-26° C). Hybridized by Girard.
	Photo courtesy of ARS plant name register

	Deciduous Azalea: 'Golden Lights' (R. atlanticum x azalea MLA 57009-1A) x red "Exbury" azalea MLA 600267H Flower strong reddish orange in bud, opens light orange-yellow suffused strong strong reddish-orange, throat strong yellowish-pink, and strong orange-yellow blotch on dorsal lobe, tubular funnel-shaped, 3" across, very fragrant. Flat-shaped truss holds 10 flowers. Blooms late midseason. Leaves between oblanceolate and narrowly obovate, acute apex, narrowly cuneate base, 3½" long, moderate olive green, deciduous. Mildew resistant. Rounded habit. Grows to a height of 4 ft. in 10 years. Very cold hardy, surviving to -30° F (-34° C). Hybridized by Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in 1975.
Photo by Sally and John Perkins