Azaleas Sping Time flowering shrubs

Azaleas Sping Time flowering shrubs in Central Park, New York City, New York. April 12,2007. Most gardeners in the Mid Atlantic region take azaleas for granted. They are a fixture in almost every garden and are without doubt the most colorful of all spring blooming shrubs. It's hard to imagine that just half a century ago many of these azaleas were not available to gardeners. Former U.S. National Arboretum Director Benjamin Y. Morrison knew of the large flowered Indica hybrids that graced gardens in the Gulf Coast states and envisioned the modern hybrid azalea as we know it today. He successfully combined the large flowers and exciting colors of tender azaleas in the Indica group with the hardiness of more northerly species. Morrison did the hybridization work at the Plant Introduction Station in nearby Glenn Dale, MD. The plants were moved to their home on the forested south slopes of Mount Hamilton in 1948.

Every spring, in late April and early May, the Glenn Dale Hillside and the walled Morrison Garden in the Azalea Collection are ablaze with the colorful products of Morrison's work. Whether visiting the Azalea Collection is a spring tradition for you or you haven't visited the collection before, we welcome you to come to the U.S. National Arboretum and experience the breathtaking beauty for yourself. If the azaleas are not in bloom or you can't make the trip, you can see a sampling of the azaleas in this gallery.

Here you will find the flowers of more than 100 of the Glenn Dale azalea varieties. If you want a complete listing of the 454 varieties in the Glenn Dale group of hybrids, visit our Plant Introductions page. The gallery is organized by alphabetical order according to the names of the cultivars represented. Clicking on any thumbnail image will take you to a pop-up image of the azalea featured.

You might find the Azalea Gallery useful in selecting a new azalea to plant in your woodland garden, or you may simply want to pay a visit to spring and its full glory at the U.S. National Arboretum. Enjoy! US National Arboretum Azalea Photo Gallery:

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