Autumn Lilac Encore Azalea

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

3 Feet

Mature Spread

3.5 Feet

Growing Zones

6 to 10

Do the pollinators a favor and plant Encore® azaleas in your garden since they offer repeat blooms that provide essential nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Autumn Lilac offers a flush of bright purple two-inch single flowers that are especially welcome to winter-weary bees. Blooms continue to appear throughout the growing season, with a final strong hurrah in fall. You’ll appreciate the evergreen foliage that provides a splash of green during drab winter months too. Unlike some azaleas that can become massive over time, this relatively diminutive one can be tucked in just about anywhere—under windows, alongside entryways, snugged up beside taller shrubs or nestled amid perennials like coral bells (Heuchera), hostas and ferns. You can also plant it in a pot, where it creates a commanding focal point with its bright purple flowers.

Along with their cold hardiness, Encore® azaleas also tolerate sunny conditions better than some azaleas, so you don’t have to over-think their placement. Feel free to combine them with other jewel-toned sun-lovers that pollinators love like roses, weigela, false indigo (Baptisia) and coneflowers for a colorful display. In shadier spots, they complement hydrangeas and stand out well against other evergreens like boxwood and camellias.

Autumn Lilac Encore Azalea Care

Locate your azalea in part shade to full sun in average garden soil that drains well. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Backfill with the soil you removed, water well and mulch around the base of the plant to conserve moisture and reduce weeds. You should water regularly thereafter during the first year as the plant is getting established. Fertilize in spring with a granular fertilizer that is formulated for acid-loving plants. Azaleas are best left untrimmed, so their natural shape is retained, but if you do need to do any trimming, wait until just after the spring blooming is over.

Autumn Lilac Encore Azalea Spacing

This is a relatively small azalea, just 3 feet tall and 3.5 feet wide, so the main concern when situating it with other plants is that it doesn’t get covered in time. Be sure there is at least 2 feet all around if you are planting it with other shrubs or vigorous perennials like false indigo or phlox that can spread. If you are clustering several of these azaleas together, you can space them a little tighter, about 1.5 feet center-on-center. If you are planting near a foundation, pull the plants out from under any overhangs so they receive enough rainwater. For container plantings, choose a frost-proof pot that has an opening at least 16 inches wide and holds a minimum of 2-3 gallons of potting soil.

SKU:

AZENLI