Azalea japonica Als Picotee

The Japanese Azalea Al's Picotee transforms into a delightful pastel pink bush in spring. This pretty newcomer, with its dense, attractively rounded growth, is covered with double flowers in a delicate shades of white, soft pink and pale lilac.  This cold-resistant ericaceous shrub is also an elegant evergreen that will liven up shady rock gardens, terraces or the gaps left under the canopy of tall Rhododendrons, all year round.

The Hybrid Rhododendron Al's Picotee, a cross between the 'Elsie Lee' variety and the Rhododendron kusianum, is a recent horticultural development. It is part of a series of particularly compact and hardy evergreen hybrids that perform well in cool, humid temperate climates with distinct seasons. This Al's Picotee variety is said to withstand temperatures as low as -26°C (-14.8), according to the American Rhododendron Society.

'Al's Picotee' is a moderately-sized variety, well-branched, with a rounded habit that spreads slightly with age. It reaches a height of about 60-70 cm (23.6-27.6 in) and a spread of 90 cm (35.4 in) by the age of 10. It flowers for about 3 weeks in the middle of the Japanese azalea season, usually in late April. The double flowers, with beautiful wavy edges, are a superb pastel colour: white washed with pale pink and mauve-pink along the edges. The centre is speckled with pink. They are funnel-shaped and gathered in terminal clusters of 4 to 5. The foliage, evergreen in winter, consists of small, simple, elliptical leaves with smooth edges, arranged alternately on the branches. Throughout the growing season, they are dark green, sometimes tinged with bronze in cold weather. Each leaf has a lifespan of 2 years. Azaleas and Rhododendrons have a shallow root system that always needs to be kept moist, but they also dislike waterlogged soil which would suffocate the roots.

Japanese azaleas thrive in cool and humid climates with distinct winters, planted in humus-rich, acid soil, such as ericaceous soil. Under these conditions, they are beautiful evergreen shrubs for flowerbeds or pots, attractive all year round. They harmonise beautifully with heathers, Japanese maples, or their relatives, Chinese Azaleas, which change colour with the seasons, as well as Japanese camellias and their graceful often fragrant, autumn-flowering cousins, the Camellia sasanqua hybrids. This 'Al's Picotee' variety, with its neat, soft pastel colouring, will liven up any gaps left under the tall ericaceous shrubs. It will look wonderful in a large, cool, moist and shaded rocky area or at the front of flowerbeds, but also on the terrace or balcony, in a large, carefully chosen pot, with suitable soil and watering with lime-free water.