Spring beauties : Indica azaleas

When I was young, Momma would sometimes ride us around to look at the beauty of springtime in Columbia. People tended to have the same plants in their yards – backbones of spring beauty were the Southern Indica azaleas, with the scientific name Rhododendrum indicum. Ranging from six to twelve feet tall and eight feet wide, the most popular of these plants are easy to propagate and grow. I often pass by old houses in the countryside, sometimes long abandoned, where these magnificent flowering azaleas still flourish. Their preferred siting is with morning sun and afternoon shade in a good loamy soil that retains moisture but doesn’t stay wet. At my own house, built in 1880, there are pecan trees, magnolias, camellias, and Indica azaleas that I believe were planted by Dr. Fairey, a physician and avid plantsman.