I would disagree with the nursery. Some amount of sunlight is always required in order to develop blooms.

In the south, we strictly adhere to the definition of part shade (around four hours of sun; preferably morning or dappled sun) but as you travel north, azaleas tolerate more sun (even full sun for some varieties in the northeast).

An azalea grown in full shade would get spindly, twiggy and bloom very little, if at all. Sarah's Wedding is a double white-bloom evergreen Weiskittel azalea hybrid. Do you have any other place in your garden that gets part sun?

Luis

I knew it probably sounded too good to be true. I have a border along a back fence that is pretty much shaded all day; it would have looked so nice in bloom with her there! I have a number of places that do recieve a little sun, to partly shaded.

Thank you for your information. I don't know that much about specific varieties of azaleas. I think that the large leafed varieties can tolerate more shade. Any information is appreciated. According to several people on the Hydrangea forum, Annabelle does well in full shade. I jusr hate to plant something and not have it work out.

sandyinva, check out the link below for some native azalea possibilities. While I have heard of these shade tolerant azaleas, I do not have literature that actually spells out how much shade they tolerate. Contact Meadowbrook We-Du Nursery at the number in this webpage for details. They sell some of the hybrids created by Georgia-based Transplant Nursery.

Annabelle is a good choice for shadier locales since it is indeed shade tolerant. It grows well under the canopy of trees and is stunning in bloom when planted in large numbers. However, the more sun it gets, the more blooms it will develop. Its only drawback is that the blooms are so large that they need support sometimes (specially after a good rain storm).

Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Maid in the Shade Azalea Hybrid Series

Most deciduous azaleas do well in full sun and frequently are poor bloomers in the shade. "Maid in the Shade" deciduous azaleas is a collection of deciduous azaleas compiled by Transplant Nursery selected to do well in shadier locations. They include:

* 'Summer Lyric' - Flowers are a mix of pink with yellow throats.
* 'Lisa's Gold' - Golden-yellow flowers.
* 'Camilla's Blush' - Blushing pink blooms that hummingbirds find irresistible.
* 'Kelsey's Flame' - Bright yellow and orange flowers.
* 'Lavender Girl' - Pale lavender flowers
* 'My Mary' - Pale yellow flowers, named as a tribute from George Beasley to his wife Mary.
* 'Rosy Cheeks' - Dark rose flowers with golden throats. Its fragrance can rival that of a rose.
* 'Nacoochee Princess' - Regal white flowers that are tinged with pink.

Thank you, Rhodyman, I think I will look further into Camilla's blush or Nacoochee Princess if Sarah's Wedding does not work for me. I have a couple of places where Ihave/ had the deciduous smaller leaved azalea that have become increasingly shady over the years. I have lost one, and am very close to losing, as the plant has pretty much died out except for the bottom 5 inches. I will prune back and see what happens.

By the way,

Lavender Girl is a beautiful plant. The flowers are spectacular in May. I have several of these in my backyard. The light lavender (and light pink mixed) is stunning. This is not a small plant. It grows vigorously. Mine was bought about 12 years ago and it now stands about 7 feet tall.

I have successfully propagated severals times through layering.