Rhododendron • Rhododendron / Azalea • シャクナゲ / ツツジ • 石楠花 / 躑躅 • shakunage / tsutsuji

Apparently, we only have two ‘Myogi’ azaleas, growing in a longish clump in Area B, along the connector path. The Plant List specifies that them as 2 feet tall, corolla white, but their time of bloom eluded me for a number of years. Turns out ‘Myogi’ is a fairly late bloomer, this year mid-June, and seen ‘in person’ it exhibits small pink sections on its overall white flowers.

To be fair, our Garden has a number of late blooming azaleas: swamp azalea, ‘Jindai’, ‘Gosho-Zakura, sweet azalea, ‘Macrantha and ‘Guarda Joy’, but the main rhodie/azalea bloom-time is over, and the Korean Dogwood and Japanese Snowbell trees steal most of the attention with their showy blossoms, and irises and water lilies draw people’s gazes toward the pond.

SJG • 6/14/15 Rhododendron indicum ‘Myogi’ • Azalea, Area B, along connector path

SJG • 6/14/15 Rhododendron indicum ‘Myogi’ • Azalea, Area B, FLOWER, note the tiny pink section

Azalea Society of America lists it as: […]Very compact. White with few tiny flakes of purplish-pink. Single with ruffled, irregular lobes; 2 ½-3”[…], which is exactly how our ‘Myogi’ looks like, although the link to backyard gardener (below) calls the color ‘pale pink’ – maybe it is not exactly the same plant?

From Backyard Gardener: […] Rhododendron hybrida ( Myogi Satsuki Azalea ): This Japanese azalea is a hybridization between Rhododendron indicum and Rhododendron simsii and has a compact, low, spreading to rounded form that is twiggy and dense. Even the leaves are notably smaller, making it the wonderful bonzai plant that it was originally bred to be. Myogi has single, pale pink flowers with deep pink streaks that bloom in late spring. Plant as you would any of the other azaleas: high and in well-drained, acid soil, rich with organic matter. This is a front of the border azalea because of its lower height. Perfect for the smaller garden. Satsukis seem to be able to handle a little more sunlight than most azaleas, but this does not mean “hot” sun. Filtered light is still best. The Satsuki are often pruned in the the Japanese garden. […]

Here is wikipedia entry on satsuki/indicum name: […] Satsuki azalea is a Cultivar Group of azaleas extensively cultivated by the Japanese. The botanical name is Rhododendron indicum. Native to the mountains of Japan, it has since spread to more diverse regions. […] Satsuki azaleas have a diverse range of flower forms and color patterns with multiple patterns often appearing on a single plant. Satsuki bloom from May to June; the name “Satsuki” in Japanese is reference to their blooming period, the fifth month of the Asian lunar calendar. […]