Azalea japonica 'NEGLIGEE' Japanese azalea

Negligee, also spelled Negligé, is a cute evergreen Japanese azalea, a cross of a. ‚Maihime‘ and ‚Pink Gumpo‘ bred by D. Wagner in 1979. It bears single flowers about 4 cm across, in such profuse trusses that make them look like double flowers. They are pale lilac pink, somewhat darker towards the margins, with conspicuous maroon dots on the dorsal lobe. It starts blooming from mid-May for 2-3 weeks. Evergreen leaves are small, broadly elliptic with a rounded tip, dark green, and glossy. The plant grows slowly into a mounded, compact, and dense shrub about 30 cm tall and 50 wide in 10 years. Interestingly, the same variety was introduced by Wagner’s colleague and nursery owner Sandra McDonald in 1988 but her description and photographs depict an almost white flower with occasional pale pink stripes.

Azaleas usually need no pruning but can be clipped to shapes from June to early July immediately after flowering. 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. If can be placed in full sun if grown in excellent soil with equal moisture throughout the season. They need light, permeable soil that is acid, constantly moist (keep azaleas always mulched) 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 refined soil from the hole where you are going to plant it. Azaleas have shallow roots, so do not plant them too deep. If leaves turn yellow or fall down after winter it is planted in wet or heavy soil. Hardy to about -23 °C (USDA zone 6).

Last update 24-01-2024