Fireball Exbury Azalea

Common Names: Azalea 'Fireball', Azalea Exbury 'Fireball', Fireball Exbury Deciduous Azalea

After seeing the Fireball Exbury Azalea in its late-season bloom we just had to start growing and offering it here in our store. The blazing color of its fiery orange-red flowers with hints of golden-yellow is nearly impossible to capture with a photo, as well as the pleasant fragrance they exude. The abundant ball-shaped flower clusters come in May or June, depending on the location, thereby extending the azalea blooming season in the garden. Its foliage is remarkable as well. The new leaves, which emerge along with the blooms, are a beautifully contrasting bronze-red. They turn to green during summer and then handsome shades of burgundy red with the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall. A moderately fast grower, it reaches 4 to 6 feet tall and about as wide when all grown up. Excellent in woodland and flowering shrub borders, as an accent in home foundation plantings, and around patios and other outdoor sitting and living spaces where the striking flowers and wonderful fragrance can be enjoyed from close up, Fireball is one of those flowering shrubs that will always have you looking forward to its glorious late-spring bloom. 

Growing 4 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide, the Fireball Exbury Azalea is ideal for use as an accent specimen in smaller garden spaces, home foundation plantings and containers, or groupings in woodland, flowering shrub, and landscape borders. It will tolerate full to mostly sun in cool summer climates; however, it appreciates some filtered sun or shade to mostly shade in hot summer climates. A fine addition to Azalea and Rhododendron gardens, woodland gardens, red or orange theme gardens, fragrance gardens, cottage gardens, and butterfly and hummingbird gardens. 

Suggested Spacing:  3.5 feet apart for a hedge; 8 feet apart for space between plants

The Fireball Exbury Azalea is very easy to grow in moist but well-drained humus-rich soil and full sun to part shade depending on location. In climates where summers are cooler, it will grow in full sun to part shade. In areas where summers are hot it will appreciate some shade or filtered sun in the afternoon or all-day filtered sun. As with most other azaleas, it does not like constantly soggy or wet soil, which can cause problems with the roots. Exbury Azaleas are very low-maintenance, requiring little, if any, pruning. That said, they respond well to pruning for shaping purposes, but not so much that it would spoil the natural form of this beautiful shrub!