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Azalea x 'Conlet' AUTUMN CARNIVAL™ hybrid Japanese Encore azalea
Azalea
Among azaleas, there are several hybrid groups that have emerged either through natural crossbreeding in the wild or planned hybridization in botanical laboratories. In the early 1990s, Robert Edward Lee, known as Buddy Lee, from Transcend Nursery in Louisiana, USA, began studying and testing azalea varieties that could bloom more than once a year. He selected the most suitable parents for further crossbreeding and, after years of intensive breeding work, produced many hybrids. Through gradual selection, he chose the highest-quality and most beautiful ones, which maintained or even enhanced their ability to rebloom. Another crucial feature was their reliable frost resistance, with many of his varieties thriving even in colder regions, down to zone 6, which includes most of the Czech Republic. Together with Dr. Mark Windham from the University of Tennessee, they created a series aptly named Encore Azaleas, which, as of May 2021, included over thirty fantastic varieties.
AUTUMN CARNIVAL™ is a large-flowered hybrid Encore azalea, created by crossing the Watched and Fourth Of July varieties. It boasts large and vividly colored, bright pink flowers. They are simple, have slightly wavy edges, and measure six to eight centimeters in diameter. They first bloom in mid-May for about three weeks. Then the shrub gathers strength and produces new shoots, which begin blooming again around mid-August and continue until the first frost, without compromising the abundant set of spring buds. It grows at a moderate pace into a semi-spherical shrub, reaching slightly over one meter in both height and width. The evergreen leaves are dark green, broadly elliptical to oval, flat, and delicately fuzzy. Patent No. PP12111 was granted in 2001.
Azaleas can be shaped by pruning, ideally immediately after blooming, to allow time for flower buds to form for the next season. If you prune them, do not fertilize them to promote faster growth. Azaleas require light, acidic, highly permeable soil that is preferably constantly moist (but not waterlogged) and rich in iron and phosphorus. Use specialized fertilizers for rhododendrons and azaleas, or ericaceous plants. To retain soil moisture, it is best to keep them continuously mulched. The ideal planting soil mix consists of one-third peat, one-third decomposed leaves or lime-free compost, and one-third of refined local soil from the planting site. Azaleas develop shallow and fine roots slowly spreading sideways, so do not plant them too deep, and never in heavy, heavy or clay-based soil. If the leaves turn yellow or drop after winter, the plant has been placed in unsuitable, often waterlogged soil. Out of Encore azaleas we choose only those with guaranteed hardiness. AUTUMN CARNIVAL™ proved hardy to abt. -21 °C (USDA zone 6b) and prefers partial shade or full shade in winter. It may also benefit from covering with wreaths or white protection fabric in severe frost combined with sunny weather. However, throughout the growing season, it thrives in full sun, which encourages abundant flowering. In frost-free periods of winter, occasional watering is recommended.
Last update 22-05-2025
