Oconee Azalea

Size, growth and what to expect

Oconee azalea grows slowly, about a foot a year in our growth estimator, and a young plant may reach only 3 feet in 10 years. It matures into a rounded shrub 6 to 8 feet tall and as wide, flatter-topped than most azaleas.

Trusses of 6 to 11 funnel-shaped flowers open in April and May, as the new leaves unfold. They are scarlet, orange-red or orange, with a darker orange blotch on the upper lobe and long stamens. The flowers carry an acrid scent rather than a sweet one.

It grows wild only in Georgia and South Carolina, below about 1,600 feet, from the Ridge and Valley through the Piedmont to the sandhills. Its home is open, dry woods, slopes and ridges, stream bluffs and longleaf pine sandhills. At least 50 wild sites are thought to exist, in 22 Georgia counties and five in South Carolina.

How to grow Oconee Azalea

Oconee azalea does best in part shade or dappled light, sheltered from afternoon sun. It wants an acid soil rich in organic matter that stays moist but drains well, and it will not stand dense clay. Set plants 6 feet apart and keep them 4 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 little above grade, since the roots rot where water stands, and put the native soil back in. Mulch with pine needles, bark or wood chips, kept off the stems. 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 never let the shallow roots dry out. Do not hoe around them, and do not overwater or overfeed, since both invite root rot. Deer may browse it, so cage young plants where deer are many. Prune, if at all, right after bloom.

Each flower carries both male and female parts, and bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit the flowers. Sources disagree on whether a native azalea sets seed with its own pollen, so plant two seedlings from different parents for seed. Hybrids with Piedmont azalea are known, and seed from a plant near other azaleas in bloom may give crosses. Lace bugs, aphids and mites can mark the leaves, and root rot follows poor drainage. Every part of the plant is poisonous if eaten.