Azalea japonica 'HINO CRIMSON'

Japanese azaleas are very popular features of our gardens. In their home climate they grow to relatively substantial shrubs, as opposed to limited sizes in our continental, dry climate. They are very floriferous, maintenance-free shrubs that usually bloom from mid to late spring.

Hino Crimson (or Hino-Crimson) is an evergreen azalea with rich red flowers. They are 3-4 cm across and have prominently rounded petal tips. They come out in profusion usually from mid May for 2-3 weeks. Evergreen leaves are 2-3 cm long, elliptic, deep green, glossy, and turn bronze in winter. It was bred by John Vermeulen & Son from Long Island, New York, who began breeding conifers around 1933, and thanks to his son’s interest in flowering shrubs they invented a few azaleas, too, for example Barbara, Wendy, Statile Orange, and Statile Orchid. John Vermeulen & Son was also the first nursery who in 1983 introduced and thus promoted a deciduous azalea Cannon’s Double, which is now very successful and still unique for its double flowers.

Japanese azaleas can be clipped to shapes in early June. If so, do not use fertilizers enhancing growth rate. The size of new branches would get out hand and spoil the shape you are going to achieve. They need light, permeable soil that is acid, constantly moist (keep azaleas mulched at all times) and moderately fertile. Use fertilizers for rhododendrons and azaleas, or ericaceous plants. The best soil mix is 1/3 of peat, 1/3 of leaf-mould or lime-free compost, and 1/3 of soil from the hole where you are going to plant it. Azaleas have shallow roots, so do not plant not too deep. Hardy to about -27°C (USDA zone 5b).

Last update 07-01-2020