# Cumberland Azalea (Rhododendron cumberlandense) > Red to orange flowers in June and July, after the leaves are out, from a low wild azalea of the Cumberland Plateau and nearby mountains. Also called Cumberland rhododendron, diploid flame azalea, Azalea cumberlandensis. Category: Native Shrubs. Grown from seed by Blue Whale Trees. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/cumberland-azalea/ ![Cumberland azalea (Rhododendron cumberlandense) red flowers among full-grown green leaves](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/plants/cumberland-azalea-h1610-800.jpg) *Photo: SheilaNeal, CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARhododendron_cumberlandense.jpg)* ## Facts - Type: Shrub - Mature height: 3 to 7 ft - USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 8 - Grows wild in: The Appalachians, dry uplands, rocky ground and the forest understory - Native range: 7 states, north to Virginia, south to Georgia and west to Alabama (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) - Sun: Part, Full - Soil moisture: Average - Growth rate: Slow - Traits: Showy flowers, Wildlife value - Sold as: Saplings, Seed Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. ## Availability Not yet priced online. Ask at captain@bluewhaletrees.com or leave an email on the web page to be told when it is listed. ## Notes Cumberland azalea is the red-flowered wild azalea of the Cumberland Plateau, from Kentucky to Alabama. It looks much like our flame azalea, but its flowers are redder and open weeks later, after the leaves are full grown. Some references call it Rhododendron bakeri, a name that belongs to a hybrid. It is ranked critically imperiled in North Carolina and imperiled in Alabama. Plant it on a slope or bank, where its late flowers carry color into summer. ## Size, growth and what to expect It grows slowly, and our growth estimator treats it as about a foot a year. It grows 3 to 7 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. It often spreads from underground stems into colonies. Clusters of three to seven red to orange funnels open in June and July, after the leaves are out and later than other azaleas. Each is up to 1.75 inches across, with long stamens. Its capsules show from July to October. It grows wild mainly on the Cumberland Plateau and mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama. A few stands grow farther east, in the Blue Ridge of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Its home is open oak woods near ridge tops, from about 1,000 to 5,900 feet. ## How to grow Cumberland Azalea Cumberland azalea does best in part shade in the South and takes full sun farther north. It wants a moist, acid soil rich in organic matter that drains well, and it needs water in a drought. Set plants 5 feet apart and keep them 3 feet from a wall. At its size it can go within 15 feet of overhead wires. Saplings ship potted. Plant dormant plants in early spring or fall, in a hole three times as wide as the root ball and no deeper. Set the top of the ball a touch above grade, and put the native soil back in. Mulch with pine needles or leaves, kept off the stems. Seed is the best way to raise it, since cuttings root poorly. The seed is dust-fine and needs light but no chilling. Sow it in winter on the surface of damp milled sphagnum, uncovered, under a clear cover at room temperature. Seedlings come up in one to three weeks. Water weekly through the first two summers, and more often in a drought. Prune only lightly, and only right after bloom, since next year's flower buds form by late summer. Each flower carries both male and female parts, and it draws butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. Sources disagree on whether a native azalea sets seed with its own pollen, so plant two seedlings from different parents for seed. It is a host plant for the azalea caterpillar and the rhododendron borer. Root rot takes plants in soil that stays wet. Every part of the plant is poisonous if eaten. ## Sources - [NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Rhododendron cumberlandense](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhododendron-cumberlandense/) - [Flora of North America, vol. 8: Rhododendron cumberlandense](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250065655) - [USDA Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers, Plant of the Week: Cumberland Azalea](https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/rhododendron_cumberlandense.shtml) - [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rhododendron cumberlandense](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHCU) - [USDA Forest Service, Woody Plant Seed Manual (2008), Rhododendron chapter](https://www.fs.usda.gov/nsl/Wpsm/Rhododendron.pdf) - [Trees and Shrubs Online: Rhododendron cumberlandense](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-cumberlandense/) - [Alabama Plant Atlas: Rhododendron cumberlandense](http://floraofalabama.org/Plant.aspx?id=1759) - [NatureServe Explorer: Rhododendron cumberlandense](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.130170/Rhododendron_cumberlandense) - [North Carolina Natural Heritage Program: List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina 2024, revised 11/03/2025](https://www.ncnhp.org/media/831/open) - [Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation: Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia, Rare Plants, June 2026](https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/document/plantlist-current.pdf) - [American Rhododendron Society: plant description, Rhododendron cumberlandense](https://www.rhododendron.org/descriptionS_new.asp?ID=217) ## Read before planting - [Ten planting mistakes that quietly kill trees](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/ten-planting-mistakes/index.html.md) - [Transplanting young trees: timing, water and protection](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/transplanting-young-trees/index.html.md) - [Protecting young trees from voles, rabbits, deer and squirrels](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/protecting-trees-from-animals/index.html.md) - [The habitat around a tree is part of the tree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/habitat-around-a-tree/index.html.md) - [Invasive vines and shrubs are what is killing your woods](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/invasive-vines-and-shrubs/index.html.md) - [Native trees and shrubs for birds: caterpillars, fruit, mast, nests and winter cover, month by month](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/native-trees-for-birds/index.html.md) ## Related - [Planting-site check](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/site-check/index.html.md): for a thrive, struggle or fail verdict on Cumberland Azalea, add ?species=cumberland-azalea with zone (2 to 10), sun (full, part, shade) and moisture (dry, average, wet) to that address, for example ?species=cumberland-azalea&zone=4&sun=part&moisture=average. - [Companion species for Cumberland Azalea](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/companions/index.html.md?species=cumberland-azalea): the natives that share its ground and the plants that pair with it in a yard. - [Growth estimator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/index.html.md): how the height and trunk projections are made; the estimate itself runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/#species=cumberland-azalea - [Seed sowing planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/index.html.md): how Cumberland Azalea is sown, in the chart for every species (treatment, cold days, depth, timing); the dated plan runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/#species=cumberland-azalea - [Pollination planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/index.html.md): what Cumberland Azalea needs for a crop and how many to plant, in the table for every species; the planner runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/#plants=cumberland-azalea:2 - [Bloom and fruit calendar](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/index.html.md): the months Cumberland Azalea flowers and fruits, in the grid for every species.