Description of the Autumn Cheer Rhododendron Hybrid

Habit

• Autumn Cheer Encore azalea develops rounded but slightly spreading branching habit. When young, the plant is more upright and shaggy oval, but as it establishes and grows over several years, it fills out to become slightly broader than tall. A mature size for Autumn Cheer is 3 feet tall by 3 1/2 feet wide. Extremely old specimens that have never been pruned may reach nearly 4 feet tall by 4 1/2 feet wide in ideal growing conditions.

Foliage Features

• All Encore azaleas are naturally evergreen, especially in the mildest winter areas across U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 and 9. However, in zones 6 and 7, shrubs become mostly deciduous as winter temperatures drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. In the harshest winter, if temperatures get to minus 5 degrees all leaves might drop. Each oval leaf on Autumn Cheer is slightly fuzzy with minute hairs and a medium to deep green in color. Leaves may look slightly bronzed or burgundy in cold winter conditions.

Flowering

• Tubular, funnel-shaped flowers -- 1-1/4 inch wide -- fill the leafy branches in early to midspring, depending on climate. Each blossom is medium pink, but initially opening a rosy pink and fading to light pink. As the heat of early and midsummer builds, flowering ends and the Autumn Cheer plant develops new leafy growth and twigs. In late summer, in August or September, sporadic blossoms again dot the shrub. Springtime flowering is more profuse than any other season. In zones 8 and 9, flowering may occur during brief warm periods across the dead of winter.

Root Growth

• As with other azaleas, the Autumn Cheer Encore azalea's root system is rather fibrous and shallow. Expect the roots to grow primarily in the top 6 inches of soil and extend 1 to 2 feet beyond the reach of the branch tips. Better root development and plant health occurs in acidic soils that are evenly moist, especially during the heat of summer. Place a 3-inch layer of organic mulch over the roots to retain moisture and moderate soil temperatures. Irrigate during droughts to prevent random, irregular branch dieback. Wet, soggy soils promote root rot and plant deterioration.