Azalea 'WESTON'S SPARKLER' swamp azalea (Viscosum group)
size/type
medium-sized shrub,medium-sized shrub
usual height
1,3-1,8m
usual width
1,3-1,8m
leaves
deciduous broadleaf
colour of leaves
flowers
showy
colour of flowers
blooming time
June-July
location
full to partial sun
soil type
acidic (peaty) to neutral
soil moisture requirements
tolerates (but does not demand) wet ground
USDA zone (lowest)
4 (down to -34°C)
winter protection
for zone 5+6
for zone 7
categorized
There are not many professional growers that would dedicate their time and money to crossbreeding interesting rhododendron and azalea species. It has mostly been the domain of enthusiastic amateurs or freelance botanists. The exception confirming the rule, apart from our well-known German nursery H.Hachmann, is the American company Weston Nurseries. It was founded in 1923 by Peter J. Mezitt, the son of Latvian farmers, who managed to escape Russian recruiters and left Europe for the USA, where he experienced the American dream. He worked as an estate gardener, earned a degree and married a woman who enthusiastically shared his passion for plants, so together they founded a nursery that still operates today. Next to their extensive work on crossbreeding rhododendrons they hybridize deciduous azaleas from the viscosum group (swamp azalea) which bloom late and have a distinct and sweet smell.
Description of the plant:
Weston’s Sparkler, registered only as Sparkler, is one of those successful swamp azalea hybrids bred by the Mezitt family. It is a cross between a. viscosa and a pink-flowered form a. arborescens. It bears approx. 4 cm wide, single, pastel pink flowers. They stand out for their strong and sweet scent and very late flowering from the end of June to July. Deciduous leaves are broadly elliptic to rounded, dark green, slightly glossy and turn bright maroon in autumn. They are very resistant to powdery mildew. The plant grows rather slowly and densely into a compact shrub of almost equal height and width.Swamp azaleas love damp soil and plenty of sun. The roots are shallow, spreading to sides in search for nutrients. Never plant them too deep. The soil has to be acidic (pH 4.5-5.5), rich in humus, cool and always moist. Ideal soil mixture is peat with lime-free, light garden soil topped with leaf-mould. For a nicer looking plant dead-head where possible. Hardy to about -34 °C (USDA zone 4).
Last update 21-01-2024
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GLOSSARY
- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
