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Rhododendron of the Year Plant Awards: 2011


South Central USA Region

R. 'Brown Eyes'

Elepidote Rhododendron: 'Brown Eyes'

Flower pink with a golden-brown flare on upper lobes, openly funnel-shaped, wavy edges.  Blooms midseason.  Leaves elliptic to ovate, deep green on a vigorous and tough plant.  Upright, spreading plant habit.  Heat tolerant.  Typical height: 6 ft. in 10 years.  Plant is hardy to -20°F (-29°C).  Hybridized by Dexter.

 
R. 'Landmark'

Lepidote Rhododendron: 'Landmark'

Flower strong purplish-red with faint scarlet spotting, openly funnel-shaped, wavy edges, ¾" across.  Held in dome-shaped truss with 25 flowers.  Blooms midseason.  Leaves elliptic, broadly acute apex, rounded base, down-curved edges, about 2" long, semi-glossy, dark green.  In winter leaves turn bronze-purple color.  Upright, open habit.  Grows to height of 4 ft. in 10 years.  Cold hardy to -20°F (-29°C).  Hybridized by Mezitt.

 
R. 'Martha Hitchcock'

Evergreen Azalea: 'Martha Hitchcock'

Flower white, with strong purplish-red edges and purplish red spotting, single, 3" across.  Young plants often produce strong reddish purple flowers.  Inflorescence 1-3 flowered.  Blooms midseason.  Leaves 2¾" long, hairy, dark green.  Broad, open habit.  Grows to 3 ft. in 10 years.  Cold hardy to -10°F (-23°C).  Hybridized by Morrison.  Won an ARS Award of Merit and a First Class Certificate from the RHS.

 
R. austrinum

Deciduous Azalea: R. austrinum

Known variously as the Flame azalea, Florida azalea, or the Florida Flame azalea.  Flower in shades of yellow, gold, and orange, narrowly funnel-shaped, very fragrant.  Blooms early midseason.  Leaves ovate or obovate to elliptic, up to 4" long, deciduous.  Reaches up to 10 ft. in the wild, but will often remain smaller in the garden, with a spread about half its height.  One of the easiest of the native azaleas to grow.  Cold hardy to -15°F (-26°C).  Very heat tolerant.  Native species found in the Florida panhandle and nearby areas of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Photos (top to bottom) by Sally and John Perkins, Sally and John Perkins, Peter Littlefield, Boris Bauer.

Prior Years Selections for South Central USA Region

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

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2015

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2010

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