Rhododendron austrinum JC Raulston Arboretum freely draining bed

freely draining bed

thriving in the heat and lean soils of a xeric or Mediterranean-style garden

honest flowers on a graceful frame

pineapple scent from the elegans parent when brushed

brushing off heat

Rhododendron austrinum JC Raulston Arboretum freely draining bedRhododendron austrinum, the Florida azalea, is among the earliest and most powerfully fragrant of all the wild deciduous azaleas of the Deep South. Native to the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia, southern Alabama, and into Mississippi, the species haunts open pine woods, ravine slopes, and river bluffs, often growing in sandy, acidic ground beneath tall longleaf pines. The species name austrinum simply means southern, a fitting label for an azalea