This is one of those not so rosy posts about gardening plants. Yes, I occasionally throw some in. I purchased two 'Autumn Chiffon' Encore Azaleas from the clearance rack at Lowes last summer. I was very excited as these two large azaleas were so drastically marked down that I paid only a few dollars for them. But, getting a good buy is not such a good thing if they don't do well and earn their spot in the garden. This has been the case with these two Encores. First of all let me say that I already knew of the bad reputation Encore Azaleas have as far as cold hardiness. One of my classmates in horticultural school worked for a large nursery in Nashville. She told me the nursery owner refused to carry Encore azaleas because they are not reliably cold hardy, even to their rated zones.
For the record, Encore azaleas are rated as cold hardy in Zones 7-9, and in Zone 6 with protection. I am on the edge of Zone 6/7. I grow a few ornamentals that are not rated as cold hardy to my zone, yet they do well. Some are: camellias, and daturas. The banana I grow is rated as root hardy to my zone so that really doesn't count. At any rate, I theorized that with the world getting warmer and with the right spot for these azaleas they would do well. I was right. All last summer the azaleas grew and looked so good! They actually sporadically bloomed too. I was very excited about their bloom this spring. This excitement lasted right up to around February. It was at this point the azaleas took a nose dive, and it was a rather sudden nosedive too.
I kept looking at them trying to see if any buds were forming when I finally noticed the azaleas were pretty much all brown. Browning is not a big deal in the winter, as evergreens tend to get a bit frostbitten, but usually they recover quickly when it warms up. I did not pay much attention to the azaleas at this point since it was still cold. You know everything looks brown in the winter anyhow. But now that it is spring and warm weather has arrived I expected to see new growth on this azalea-green growth. Look closely, it is not there. No recovery seems to be in the near future for these guys. I have pruned the dead areas out of the two azaleas and am hoping for the best. These azaleas may yet bloom but I am just not sure the Encores live up to their names and I would caution folks in my growing area to plant them with care. There are far better azaleas that will not give the gardener more gray hair-she has enough already!
I will hold out and hope these azaleas still bloom this spring, but it's not looking too good. Since they are planted in a sheltered area and well mulched, I think they will recover sufficiently this season so that they may even bloom this summer. Not sure, but since the Autumn Chiffons are not in the way and are set in a good spot, I'll keep them around a bit longer, but I will not hope for an 'Encore' from them anymore.
There is an awful lot of talk on the subject of Encore hardiness ratings. As for me, I think my friend's boss was right not to carry the Encores and I will not buy anymore, no matter how marked they down are....
in the garden....
April 2009: This post gets hits at least once per week and sometimes many hits each day of the week! I can see there are many other folks having trouble with the hardiness of the Encore azaleas. I'd like to be sure you all see my second post on my Encores because they DID bounce back after another growing season. I will again update my experience on my Encores after this season (2009-2010); which has been very cold-but normal for my Zone 6B garden. Stay tuned and check back later. Also, you might click on the label "Encore Azaleas" on my sidebar so you can read ALL the posts on the Encores. Hang tough with yours! Thanks. tina
Update 15 Februay 2011: My Encores bounced back again in 2010 and bloomed beautifully. My conclusion with growing my two Encores here in my Zone 6B garden is that this is a plant that should be planted in the spring. Additional protection from dessication might not be a bad idea either.
It didn't dawn on me that you would have cold hardiness issues with your azaleas. What a shame. So I guess there is no micro climate area in your garden that would be more protected? I have azaleas out front- used to have a lot of them out back as well, they are not salt tolerant. I lost three large ones and about 6 very little ones during a very high tide season.
ReplyDeleteI guess the Encore azaleas were on discount for a good reason. :-(
Hardiness can be a tricky thing...
ReplyDeleteI have (had) a Rosemary in my garden for over 12 years, and it was doing extremely well. It was on a warm spot against the wall, protected from the cold eastern winds and the morning sun. (Morning sun can be 'lethal' for evergreen plants, as it forces the plant to evaporate water, when the soil is still frozen and it can't take up water.)
My rosemary had grown to a shrub of two cubic yards, but we had an extremely cold winter this year. -15°C (5°F) is 'very cold' here, but last winter temperature went down to -20°C (-4°F), and that definitely was too cold.
There are several Azalea's that are hardy to our zone, but I don't have any in my garden. Hope you will find one that thrives in yours, or that you find a well protected spot...
We started selling Encores when they first came out. The fever peaked several years ago and we no longer sell as many. The hardiness is not an issue for us, but we find that they take longer to establish and even though they bloom more frequently - the show is not nearly as great as you get from traditional azaleas.
ReplyDeleteThe Arboretum has encores. They do seem to bloom, but I have never thought they were as pretty as the traditional. I guess when you buy something marked down, it's a 50/50chance on what happens. You gave it your best shot though! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad, I never seem to have luck with azaleas, they do for me what encore is doing for you.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just hate it when they are incorrect about the zones on Plants! Nothing is more frustrating that looking forward to blooms on a plant only to find it can't survive your winters. We've had that happen too.--Randy
ReplyDeleteMy two little azaleas that I bought on the discount racks last year were encores. Neither of the them made it anywhere but the compost bin! I think you might be right about the hardiness.
ReplyDeleteI'm in 7b and have six glorious Encore Azaleas. Three are shrubs and three are standards (tree form). Mine put on a big show in the spring and repeat the show in fall up to Thanksgiving. Heat is more of a problem than winter for my azaleas since they are on the south side of the house. One of the shrubs is outside the fence and the deer picked it clean for the first time since the azaleas were planted in fall 2005. So, that one won't bloom on one side while the other side of it is against the fence and full of buds right now.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the zone problems. A lot of plant labels push that limit. Yesterday, I was looking at salvias and anything that said hardy to zone 7, I skipped and looked for one zone cooler and two zones hotter (6-9) just because of problems with salvia hardiness. I didn't bring anything home yesterday as the nursery had just repotted them from small pots to larger pots.
Cameron
Janet, Yes these Encores still have some issues. What a shame on losing yours! P.S. I have an excellent post coming up next Friday that I immediately thought of you with your house building. I think it will be interesting to you and maybe even helpful:)
ReplyDeleteAnne, You are so lucky to have a rosemary for so long! I had one once and it died:( Maybe I should give it another try.
Les, Thank you very much for the info on them taking time to get established. These are still alive and maybe with time they'll do better. It is frustrating when you look forward to something so much but we'll give it time. I do like the traditional ones too. I have a few getting ready to bloom but the same three that did not bloom last year are not going to bloom this year. I still don't know the issue. But you are right-the one is spectacular.
Linda, You are right. Seems to be the feeling that the Encores are not pretty. They were very much touted though so you would think they would be.
Dawn, Then they look awful huh? I would think you'd grow some rhododendrons up there. They are so much nicer in the north.
Jamie and Randy, Yes, a bit frustrating. Especially when you anticipate the bloom so much. It is a part of gardening though. Sigh.
Dave, I had forgotten you had bought a few. It's a bummer!
Cameron, I am glad you hear yours are doing so well. I hope you'll post a pic of them. I do love azaleas and they always remind me of NC. Especially the Wrightsville area. I miss it very much.
I've tried a few things not quite exactly right for my zone, with mixed results. We have trouble with azaleas here, full stop. Some grow very nicely, most struggle. I still think it's kind of fun, if the plants are inexpensive, to sort of "trial" them. Good luck with your two!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am back home in GA for two days then will be on the road again!
ReplyDeleteWhile in Gulf Shores last week, I spotted a ton of them for sale in huge garden centers all over town! Kind of made me want to add some to my yard but with the rainy days we had, we never made it to a garden center while there. All the garden centers carry them here in GA but not as many as they had in the Gulf area.
Sometime things are marked down for a reason such as not worth the bargain. But like you, I love a bargain and would have probably picked them up as well....
Tons for me to do in the yard today. Sunny skies and warm temps and a lot has popped up since I have been away! On the sad side, lots of weeds to pull…
IMHO, it's a very good thing to warn people about plants that don't live up the their publicity.
ReplyDeleteI hope it comes back very quickly, fills out and blooms for you.
Marnie
I am in zone 8b...and we can't kill the azaleas...LOL!!! Mobile is known as the Azalea City. The city is covered in them. I am sorry this one didn't make it for you...that always makes ya mad!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad Tina. It was a good deal considering the price and it sounds like you thoughtfully planted them in the best place for them to do well. When things don't do well in my garden, I rip them out and replace!
ReplyDeleteI am betting that you will baby it back to great health and many years of blooms!!
ReplyDeleteThat's disappointing! I guess it's a good thing you didn't pay too much. It's a bit frustrating sometimes dealing with hardiness zones. I've had things not come back and our zone was well in the zone on the tag.
ReplyDeleteI've never had luck with azaleas. Mine never seem to bloom for some reason. Hope yours make a surprise comeback!
I have had a few Azaleas turn for the worst on me as well. We have even more problems with them here in Zone 5. I have an orange 'northern lights azalea' and it is really tough. The hole series will make it through our winter without any covering.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your issues with the Encores! You might want to try Encore Amethyst -- it's rated as the most cold hardy of the Encores and has come through 0 degree temps OK. I've had mine for 9 years.
ReplyDeleteI have bought many a plant that was marked down...only to regret it later. It's so tempting to buy plants that aren't really hardy for one's garden--I know I've done it, too. Good luck with the azaleas; I hope they do make an encore for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. I had considered planting Encores in the future, the hardiness in my area probably wouldn't be an issue. But after reading Les's comment, they don't seem to be worth the trouble.
ReplyDeleteOur azaleas, and infamous Azalea Festival, have come and gone. The rain finished them off. Now they look bedraggled...
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Hi Tina, After reading Frances' posts about the Northern Light's deciduous azaleas I decided to give them a try...Hardiness will be taken care of but I have never been able to grow rhodos and azaleas in this garden! They decline within a few years! gail
ReplyDeleteHow disappointing. What a shame that they have not done well for you.
ReplyDeleteJan
Always Growing
Oh Tina, How sad that your Encore Azaleas did not do so well, I have never grown azaleas due to their want of acid soil. But they are so very beautiful! I will agree with you on the wonderful gift that I got, I am blessed with wonderful parents who really love me (and I am not just saying that because they bought me a camera).
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the honesty of blog gardening, where people aren't just showing the perfect parts. This post reminded me of Tony Avent, over at Plant Delights. Unfortunately I can't find the exact quote, but he says something like, "I never consider I've tested a plant's hardiness until I've killed at least three of them."
ReplyDeleteI hope this beauty survives the cold snap. Happy Spring to you!
ReplyDeleteI have a few encore azaleas. They seem to do fine here but I am in zone 9. Main thing is it gets so hot and dry in the summer. So they need some shade here. Hopefully yours will perk up(-: It is hard though when something requires special care.
ReplyDeleteAny deer resistant plants are good for my garden :-)
ReplyDeleteHi- I found this blog just now, doing a search on automn chiffon encore azalea to try and figure out why mine died over the winter . . . mine looks just like yours :( I don't think there's much chance of it coming back. I thought it was just mine .. .I'm really sorry to hear it's a problem with all Encores. Maybe one of you can suggest something as a replacement -- I got the encore because I wanted a perennial with exactly that color pink blooms, preferably evergreen, and very small & compact (2-3'). The Autumn Chiffon fit the bill exactly.
ReplyDeleteAny other suggestions?
(I live in N.Va., outside DC)
thanks-
KC
Hi KC, You are like one of the very first who has found this blog thru an online search and commented. I think one other person. So glad you took the time. I will try to help but if these don't work for you, ask Les at a Tidewater Gardener (he is in your area and a nurseryman, or Racquel at Perennial Garden Lover-both are on my sidebar). When you said evergreen and a bloom similar to the Chiffon, I can't help but think Indian Hawthorne. Here is a link: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Rosaceae/Rhaphiolepis_indica.html
ReplyDeleteThe cultivar Ballerina is small and stays so. They do not grow for me here BUT I think they will work in your area as the ocean seems to keep it milder. It says hardy to Zone 7. Check that one out. If they don't work for you, then perhaps another type of azalea? The Kurume azaleas seem to stay small and are reliable. One of them may work. Here is a link with listings of cultivars. You would need to Google the cultivars to see if there is one you like since I have not included links to all. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-629.html
Also, check the link in my post for a listing of some hardier Encores. Some are supposedly hardier than others, but I have nto been happy with mine. Good luck to you and thanks for dropping by!!
KC, I forgot to say, I don't think your Autumn Chiffons are goners, they will most likely bounce back and even bloom this year, but you'll not have the big show azaleas traditionally give each spring:( I know the feeling.
ReplyDeleteMy mountain house is in Zone 7, and when I bought it, I added a bunch of landscaping, including two Encore Azaleas. I bought and planted them in the summer and they bloomed nicely right away. But since that time, they haven't bloomed once. I really don't relish the idea of digging them up and replacing them with something else, so perhaps I'll just wait them out and see if they get established and bloom again at some point. I hope so!
ReplyDelete~Monica
Monica, You don't say when exactly you planted your Encores but if it has been at least two years ago, I think I'd do a soil test and see if something is up with the soil that may keep them from blooming. At any rate, it would not hurt to add some acid fertilizer to the soil and hope they bloom next year. I add this to mine usually in the early spring but fall is good too. The new Encores your planted bloomed on wood developed in the nursery, after that you are on your own and even assuming it took a year for the shrubs to settle in they should bloom soon if it's been two years. If you only planted them last year, for sure give it another year or two. I just now noticed mine are blooming-albeit sporadically. A good thing I suppose. Good luck and have some patience! Let me know how they do if you get the chance.
ReplyDeleteTina, I bought and planted them summer of 2008. So no, it's only been one year that they've been in the ground. The foliage looks great so I am really hopeful that they will bloom next spring, summer and fall! I will fertilize again to see if that helps.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your help. I love this garden blog and have subscribed through my Google Reader. Oh and thanks for stopping by my blog and for your kind words about it. :o)
~Monica
Monica, Yes, do give it another year and good luck! And you are very welcomed!! My pleasure really. Especially now that I am trying to organize my life-and house! I think the garden is going fine just got to get the rest under control:)
ReplyDeleteEncore Azaleas -- wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI live in Yardley PA which is zone 6B and my Encore Azaleas are thriving. I am buying all I can find this year and so are several of my neighbors. It does take a year to establish them.
Donna, You are so correct. The Encores do need at least one year or to be planted in the spring versus the fall. The encores that did so poorly last winter in my garden are doing quite well this year. I am waiting until they bloom before I do a new post on them. Thanks so much for letting us know. Your comment will be a relief to many!
ReplyDeleteI think the Encores sound like the Endless Summer hydrangeas....WHAT a disappointment! My neighbors all have ordinary, cheap hydrangeas and they bloom constantly. My Endless Summer variety wimp through the summer....I moved them again last fall with the hopes that maybe maybe maybe this year they will not put me to shame as a Yankee transplant that can't grow a good Southern standard. From now on, I buy the ordinary , common folk , good-enough-for-my-mama variety.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne, Endless Summer hydrangeas and even the ordinary run of the mill hydrangeas are finicky down here--at least in my area of Tennessee. I too am from the north and love those hydrangeas. The mopheads are difficult to please in so many ways it seems. Not enough water, clay soil, late freezes, you name it. But when they do bloom it is worth it. While I still grow mopheads the best hydrangeas for the south that I have found are the oakleafs, paniculata like Limelight, and arborescens like Annabelle. They will never fail you. They do need some direct sun though to look their best but even in shade these hydrangeas will bloom. You might give them a try. Good luck!
Delete