Mystery Plant: Azalea Edition, Answered

So we never got an answer on the blog to the identity of our mystery Azaleas so I decided to email the Azalea Society of America. A very sweet lady emailed me with a few question and then sent me this email:

"It is an evergreen azalea, the leaf has flat hairs, So ANNA KEHR was one suggestion. But I know that how a plant grows in Oregon has little to do with Alabama and many years of abuse. These plants are not doing justice to the genus. I would cut them back to 10 inches after they finish blooming, fertilizer lightly and let nature take its course. If they have healthy roots they will be awesome plants in 2 years. If not bushed out by the end of the growing season you saved yourself having to look at them any longer. Trash them." 

Update March 24, 2012: I was at the Mobile Botanical Gardens and found my Azalea in bloom. Name: Amelia Rose. Hooray for me! 

So that is what I did. I cut down my precious azaleas, fertilized them and am hoping for the best. We will see if they survive. I sure hope so!

We also had a garden visitor the other day that just about scared me to death. I was looking out the window in my living room which looks out at my favorite part of the garden and all the sudden this squirrel jumped up on the table on the other side of the window and watched me for about ten minutes and then wandered off on his merry little way. I couldn't believe how fearless he was acting! Sorry it is a little fuzzy, the only thing separating us was my window screen!

Mystery Plant: Azalea Edition

Here is another post about the mystery azalea, hopefully someone will know what it is. I am always on the lookout at nurseries hoping to find one like it. The photo above is a bloom halfway open.

This is a fully open flower with my camera lens cap to give you an idea of the size. 

This is the bush. We have had it for a year and a half and are not sure how much bigger it will get. 

If anyone can i.d. this I would extremely thankful!

Random Garden Tidbits {and Fertilizer Friday a day late}

The new container in the garden. It needs to be in a bigger pot but that will have to come another day. This is what I had and it ended up more cramped than I expected. White Dianthus, Primrose, and Creeping Jenny. Please ignore the watering can and the weeds we have been a little busy! :)

The Magnolia Bed. Everything is just starting to wake up there. Can't wait to see it in a month or so!

Can you help me identify this plant? I know it is an azalea of some kind but the blooms don't look like any I have ever seen. None of the blooms are fully open yet but I will update once they do.

The story about where it came from: My husband worked for two summers after we got married doing landscaping with a friend. At a historic home in Mobile they were ripping up all the fabulous old plants that had been there for who knew how long and putting in boring albeit easy to maintain shrubs. They were going to toss six old Azaleas out but my husband asked if he could take five and his friend took home the other one.

Matthew surprised me with five of these beauties and since I hadn't planned for them they just kind of got popped in wherever I could find a spot for them. They have gotten moved two or three times each and have never even blinked. One of them did get chewed on by our dog and we had to trim it down majorly this year but the rest are doing great. I would love it if you could help me I.D. this precious plant!

One of the mystery azalea buds.

I am linking up with Tootise!