Elsie Lee Azalea

Rhododendron ‘Elsie Lee’ is an azalea that will charm you with its unique double flowers! Elsie Lee Azalea blooms profusely in mid-spring, with its flowers nearly covering its foliage. The double flowers are lilac colored with lighter-colored throats and ruffled petals. With its upright, mounded form and attractive evergreen leaves, Elsie Lee Azalea provides interest throughout all four seasons. This slow-growing and long-living shrub is 3-5 feet tall and wide at maturity, offering color to your garden for decades to come. 

Consider growing Elsie Lee Azalea in mass plantings or with other azalea cultivars for an impressive array of blooms. This shrub makes an excellent specimen plant or backdrop for perennials in mixed foundation plantings and borders. Elsie Lee Azalea looks natural when planted along forest edges, and its old-fashioned appearance puts it right at home in cottage gardens. 

Elsie Lee Azalea Care

Plant Elsie Lee Azalea in partial sun and moist, well-drained soil. Water Elsie Lee Azalea when the soil is dry, especially during its first year of growth. Apply 2-3 inches of mulch to keep the soil moist and insulated. Elsie Lee Azalea benefits from nutrient-rich soil and a layer of compost. A slow-release fertilizer can be applied annually in early spring. Consider using a fertilizer formulated for acidic-loving plants to help acidify the soil if needed. Elsie Lee Azalea requires acidic soil to prevent chlorosis (yellowing) of its leaves. 

To preserve developing flower buds, prune Elsie Lee Azalea in spring after blooming has finished. Elsie Lee Azalea can be pruned for height control by cutting back branches to about a foot from the ground. Remove any crossing or dead branches to improve shape and air circulation. 

Elsie Lee Azalea Spacing

Plant Elsie Lee Azalea about 3 feet apart in mass plantings. For mixed borders, space this shrub 3-5 feet apart.

Elsie Lee Azalea Information