Deciduous vs. Evergreen Azaleas

Cold Hardiness

• Tolerance of very cold winters is not a characteristic of most evergreen sorts of azaleas, but cultivars such as "Herbert" and "English Roseum" will grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 4. If you live in Zone 3, where winters may be frigid and bitter, deciduous azalea possibilities include the "Golden Lights" cultivar, as well as a species called roseshell azalea.

Geography

• North American native deciduous azaleas include the mountain, pinxterbloom, Florida and roseshell species. Native evergreen types such as plumleaf azalea are available, but most of the evergreen species are cultivars and hybrids that do not grow naturally in the wild, such as Rhododendron indicum, an Asian species. Nonnative types of deciduous azaleas include the Korean azalea of China, Japan and Korea and the royal azalea of Asia.

Size

• Deciduous azaleas on average grow somewhat taller than their evergreen cousins do. The deciduous type includes varieties that can grow up to 8, 10 and even 15 feet tall; conversely, if you desire a smaller azalea species, the evergreen kinds give you more options in the 3 feet and under range.

Sunlight Requirements

• Several types of azaleas, both evergreen and deciduous, can handle shady conditions. The location of a deciduous type ties into the plant's appearance more than that of an evergreen shrub. For example, the too much light for a deciduous azalea can affect the form of the shrub and the number and quality of flowers in an adverse manner. Too much sun for Golden Lights bleaches the leaves and flowers, so a site that gets sunshine filtering through the trees above or sun in the morning and shade later on in the day is ideal.

Flower Colors

• You have a wide variety of colors to choose from in azaleas, whether you prefer a deciduous or evergreen variety. Yellow flowering deciduous azaleas are available, with Golden Lights among them. Soft pink flowers are a feature of the "Camilla's Blush" cultivar, while another deciduous form, the royal azalea, generates white flowers with a hint of pink. The evergreen shrubs have numerous red, purple, pink and white flowering azaleas in their ranks.