The Azalea is the typical and ubiquitous shrub widely found in urban spaces and in the wild on the Japanese hilly countryside. It is an evergreen flowering shrub of the heath family. There are many species and varieties, but not all of them can be grown as pot plants. They bloom from late spring to early summer (or early spring in the southern islands).
Japanese Azalea Photo Gallery
Yellow renge-tsutsuji. These yellow azaleas are very uncommon.
But blue azaleas are even more uncommon. Photographed at Okamura Park, Ooka, Yokohama.
You can see clearly how this renge-tsutsuji shapes the hedge gracefully.
This is the “wallpaper” kind of azaleas, they grow so dense that they can form a wallpaper packed with nothing but flowers, quite different from the renge sort. This one here is a great combination of pink oxalis and azaleas don’t you think?
Broad petalled Azalea
These are yama-tsutsuji, one of the earliest of azaleas to bloom … mostly from April. The crinkly texture of this particular azalea is interesting.
The azaleas are coming into bloom all around Japan.
We can see them EVERYWHERE really…yet in the coming weeks, everyone will head to the mountains during Golden Week holidays for a glimpse of azalea-covered mountains and parks everywhere.
In the wild they grow… see below
Azalea glory in the satoyama countryside, Kanagawa
Doshimura (Doshi Village)
NATURE IN JAPAN 