Azalea japonica Dorothy Heiden

The Japanese Azalea Dorothy Heiden is a particularly bright variety of Japanese Azalea, when it is adorned with its large, almost pure white flowers, in spring. This flowers almost covers the foliage which consists of large oval leaves that generally last over winter. Japanese Azaleas are among the most beautiful ericaceous plants, as long as they have appropriate growing conditions: provide them with a lime-free, moist but well-drainedsoil, as well as a semi-shaded position.

The Japanese Azalea is a mostly evergreen shrub in the Rhododendron or Ericaceae family. It is characterized by a dazzling spring flowers and foliage that is not completely evergreen. These Azaleas have two types of foliage: the spring foliage is fine and quite wide, while the foliage that forms in late summer, is tougher and smaller. The spring leaves fall in autumn, while the majority of leaves produced at the end of summer will last throughout winter. Very hardy, they are native to Japan, China, and Korea.

'Dorothy Heiden' is a very beautiful cultivar bred in the state of New Jersey (USA) in 1960. It is a medium-sized shrub with a bushy and slightly spreading habit. It reaches about 1m (3 ft 4 in) in height and 1.20m (3 ft 11 in) in spread at maturity. It flowers for about 3 weeks, usually in May, depending on the climate. The large trumpet-shaped flowers, 6.5cm (2.6 in) long, are bright white and speckled with pale green at the centre. They are gathered in generous terminal clusters that almost entirely cover the leaves. The foliage consists of single, oval-lanceolate leaves with smooth edges, arranged alternately on the branches. They are a fairly dark, bluish green with a matte finish and vary in length from 5 to 6cm (2 to 2.4 in). 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 climates with distinct winters, planted in humus-rich, acid soil, such as ericaceous soil. They are very attractive evergreen shrubs for flower beds or containers all year round. They are a perfect accompaniment to heathers, Pieris, Japanese maples, or their relatives, Chinese Azaleas, which change colour with the seasons. They can also be combined with Japanese camellias, as well as their graceful, often fragrant, autumn-flowering cousins, the Camellia sasanqua hybrids. This variety will look wonderful on a terrace or balcony, in a large, carefully chosen pot, with suitable compost and watered with alkaline-free water.