Autumn Bravo® Encore® Reblooming Azalea

Bright red flowers cover this azalea heavily enough that the foliage nearly disappears at peak. Rhododendron 'Conlen', sold as Encore Autumn Bravo®, grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 6 through Zone 10.

The habit spreads wider than tall, which suits a mass planting or a low informal hedge, and the red is warm rather than dark, so it reads clearly from a distance.

Encore azaleas can flower up to three times a year. A traditional azalea blooms for a couple of weeks in spring and then stops, while Encores set buds on new growth through the season and bloom again in summer and once more in fall. Spring and fall give the strongest shows, with the summer flush lighter and more scattered. They also take more sun than most azaleas.

Azaleas want acidic soil, roughly pH 4.5 to 6.0, with good drainage and steady moisture. Alkaline ground turns the leaves yellow. Mulch the shallow roots.