Swamp Azalea
Rhododendron viscosum
Clove-sweet white flowers in June and July, long after other azaleas finish. Born for the wet spots that stay soggy all season.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The most fragrant native azalea, blooming in midsummer when no other azalea is open, and thriving in the wet sites most plants reject.
Swamp azalea is the last native azalea to bloom, opening white to very pale pink flowers with long protruding stamens in June and July when the spring azalea season is long over. The flowers are intensely, almost overwhelmingly fragrant, a sweet clove-like scent that carries on evening air in a way few garden plants can match. The name 'viscosum' means sticky, referring to the glandular hairs on the tube of the flower that trap insects. It grows naturally in wet swamps and bog margins throughout the coastal plain, which makes it the right plant for the wet spots in the yard that stay soggy all season. Hummingbirds and clearwing moths work the long-tubed flowers in the evening. Fall foliage is typically orange to red. This is a fragrant, graceful shrub that performs best where it has consistently wet feet: the problem site it was born to solve.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown swamp azalea propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 3–8 ft · 36–96 in wide
- Bloom time
- June–July
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States from Maine to Florida along coastal plain and swamp margins
Care notes for swamp azalea.
Moist to wet, acidic soil is required. Part shade to full sun with consistent moisture. Mulch with pine bark to maintain acidity. Prune lightly after flowering to shape; hard pruning is rarely needed. This is a slow grower that rewards patience. give it three to four years to establish before expecting abundant bloom.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside swamp azalea.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
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Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.