Sounds like a Southern Indica 'Formosa' azalea. Should be easy to find at a local nursery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Formosa

Is it as dark as Formosa or more like this which is a photo of Pride of Mobile azalea?
Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:362791}}

might also be 'george l. taber', another southern indica with large flowers and shrub habit. it is listed as lavender but appears pink with purple throat splotch to me.
one of my favorites in that group, they are also fragrant.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'george l. taber' azalea

Thanks everyone for the post. It is none of the ones that has been suggested. It is a strange color, a "LIGHT PURPLE" but beautiful. Very pretty in the landscape. I'm sure it is a very old variety, the plants I saw looked like they had been planted a long time.

the photo on tweetypye's "pride of mobile" link is "Geo. Taber".
"pride of mobile" is red.

wayne

Does it look like the Formosa pictured in this link?

Here is a link that might be useful: Lavender Azalea

No the Formosa is way to rosy pink. If any of ya'll are out and about at any garden centers and happen to see one, I hope you remember this post and see what azalea I am talking about. I have looked at all the local places around me. Thanks again!

Will the "real" Pride Of Mobile azalea please stand up? Wayne, when I purchased mine years ago, they were tagged as POM so I never questioned them as being such. However, after you post above I googled it and here's what came up. I still don't know what the real POM azalea looks like.
Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: Which is the real Pride of Mobile?

Jan,

I worked in several "real" garden centers over many, many years with growers all over. Two things with the Pride of Mobile. One, like many people refer to all sodas as Coke in the south, lots of people refer to all southern indica azalea types as Pride of Mobile (which according to the gurus at UGA is technically listed as an "Imperial" not a an indica at all). Your picture definitely appears to be a George Lindley Tabor. It may have just mistagged which isn't uncommon at all with azaleas in general and southern indica types in particular. Second, a picture on a computer screen can look a different color than it actually is and can vary from screen to screen, but you probably already knew that.

As for 'Formosa', I have seen them both magenta and more lavender. There is a beautiful lavender tagged 'Formosa' in my next door neighbors yard. I don't know if these are just misnamed or if there are color variations or what.

The short answer to your question is the Googled images look more like what I was always taught POM is, your picture looks like a Tabor (my absolute favorite, btw!)

May be more information than you wanted!!! If anybody knows anymore, I would love to learn! Maybe you could post your picture on Name That Plant forum and let the horticulturists who love that forum educate us :-).

Shana

Found this site with lotsof pictures to look through and see if you see the one you are looking for

Here is a link that might be useful: azalea society

Could be 'Herbert'.

I saw a lavender Azalea in bloom at the Home Depot in Pelham/Alabaster last Friday and it was labeled "Elsie Lee". I don't know as much as the other folks on here do about the different types, but the bloom looked very similar to the George Tabor in my yard. Hope this helps!

bets,
that one had to be mislabeled. 'elsie lee' looks nothing like 'george taber' and is also later to flower. i have several of them and they are very pretty. the form of the flowers has more ruffled, semi-double petals and are a true lavender. she is also more columnar in habit.
there are so many lavender azaleas that we could guess at its name for a long time! :-)
another possibility could be the korean azalea, rhododendron yedoense var. poukhanense. i have this one too and it blooms early on sparsely leaved branches.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'elsie lee'

Re: Pride of Mobile - I was a child in Mobile in the 1960's. My mom & grandmothers were avid gardeners, and we spent many hours at Bellingrath gardens, looking at all the blooms around the city. I marvelled at the beautiful dresses of all the 'Azalea Trail Maids' and was filled to the brim with sights of PRIDE OF MOBILE -- ubiquitous indeed on the gulf coast, and unforgettable even after all these years. What I understood and remember is the fucschia/purply/lavender SOLID tone, not markedly spotted like the Taber. Not pink, not light lavender, but magenta-fucshia. And they grew pretty large too.

The googled pics were quite variable in color and could be due to monitor differences. maybe there's no one right answer anymore. I've put in a link for the one that looks closest to my recollection, which I offer anecdotally, definitely not officially or scientifically...

airydana

Here is a link that might be useful: my recollection of Pride of Mobile Azalea

Hi! I have several large, fragrant, true lavender azaleas that are labeled "Gulf Pride". From a distance the blooms seem to melt into one another for a spectacular display of beauty---Could this be the answer to your question?