Azalea japonica Manuska

The 'Manuska' Japanese Azalea is a very distinct variety with its very beautiful, dark green, glossy, evergreen foliage, turning entirely purple in autumn and winter! It forms a compact, rounded bush that spreads with age, and is covered in bright red flowers from April to May. Decorative all year round, this medium-sized shrub is best planted in borders with other acid-loving plants, even in a small garden. It is hardy and thrives in partial shade in light, alkaline-free, moist but well-drained soils. 

The 'Manuska' Azalea is a German cultivar bred by Hans Hachmann, back in 1976. It is part of a series of evergreen hybrids closely related to the original Rhododendron kaempferi created in 1921. These bushes perform well in cool and humid temperate climates, with distinct seasons.

'Manuska' is a dense, rounded, medium-sized variety, forming a spreading ball as it ages. This slow-growing shrub will not exceed 1.5m (4 ft 11 in) in height and 1m (3 ft 4 in) in spread after many years. Its stunning flowers bloom over a long period from April to May. The very large flowers, 6cm (2.4 in) in diameter, with beautiful wavy edges, are a gorgeous bright red to crimson. They are funnel-shaped and grouped in terminal clusters of 4 to 5. The evergreen foliage, consists of small, simple, elliptical leaves with smooth edges, arranged alternately on the branches. They are fairly light green in spring. In late summer the foliage is dark green, with a glossy finish, turning entirely purple in winter. 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, ericaceous soil. They are very beautiful evergreen shrubs for flower beds or containers, attractive all year round. They are a perfect accompaniment to heathers, Japanese maples, or their relatives, Chinese Azaleas, changing colours with the seasons, as well as Japanese camellias and their graceful, often fragrant, autumn-flowering cousins, the Camellia sasanqua hybrids. This variety, which is taller than wide, can be used to create different levels and fill gaps under large ericaceous shrubs. They will also look wonderful in a large, cool, moist, rock garden or at the front of a border, but also on a terrace or balcony, in a large, carefully chosen pot, with a suitable compost and watered with alkaline-free water.