Azalea japonica ENCORE Autumn Fire Roblez

The Encore 'Autumn Fire' Hybrid Azalea is a beautiful new addition with true-red semi-double flowers belonging to the Encore series, which has transformed the Japanese Azalea into a plant almost as decorative as the rose, with its successive and spectacular flowerings. This lovely evergreen bush blooms two to three times a year depending on the climate: first abundantly in late winter or early spring, then during the summer before a beautiful resurgence in late summer or early autumn. Thriving in full sun or partial shade and relatively hardy, the Encore hybrid Azaleas are very versatile and come in a variety of styles, with single or double flowers, more or less compact and in a range of colours including white, red, various shades of pink, salmon, and orange vermillion. Mix them together to create either rustic flowerbeds or more sophisticated displays. Like all Azaleas, 'Autumn Fire' prefers non-calcareous soils, moist but well-draining, and fertile enough to sustain its multiple flowerings.

From a botanical point of view, Azaleas are actually Rhododendrons, plants from the large Ericaceae family. The hybrids from the Encore series, distributed by Globe Planter, were created thanks to Buddy Lee, a talented American nurseryman specializing in these plants. These quite fantastic Azaleas are the result of a long process of hybridisation and selection, with the aim of obtaining varieties capable of flowering several times a year, as well as withstanding the sun.

'Autumn Fire' is a medium to modest-sized variety, with a bushy and rounded habit. The shrub reaches about 80 cm (31.5 in) in height and spread by the age of 10, and is rather slow-growing. Its first flowering, abundant and vibrant, starts in March-April in the form of bright red flowers, without a trace of pink, enhanced by small darker spots in the centre. They measure about 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter, are funnel-shaped and grouped in small terminal clusters. A second wave of flowers begins in late May, when new shoots appear, bearing new flower buds to open in summer. A final flowering occurs in early autumn, usually in October. The foliage of the Japanese Azalea, more or less evergreen depending on the severity of the winter, consists of small, simple, glossy, elliptical leaves with smooth edges, arranged alternately on the branches. They are rather light green in spring, darkening in summer. In 'Autumn Fire', they take on bronze or purplish hues and almost metallic highlights due to the cold. This variety is hardy down to -12/-15°C (10.4 - 5 °F). 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 and acid soil, such as ericaceous soil. In these conditions, they are very 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 their colours with the seasons. Combine them with flowering cherry trees, Japanese camellias, and their graceful, often fragrant, autumn-flowering cousins, the Camellia sasanqua hybrids. This 'Autumn Fire' variety will look wonderful in a large, cool, moist rockery or at the front of flowerbeds in a small Japanese or romantic-style garden.  It will also make a beautiful suject in a pot to adorn a terrace or balcony, planted in suitable soil and watered with lime-free water.