I am going to plant some shrubs in my yard this fall and Low’s has Autumn Rouge Azalea’s in stock, which I like the look of. But when I was reading about them, it seems they are recommended for zones 7-9. I like in northeast PA, in zone 5b (borderline 6a).
Is Low’s selling plants that will not survive the winter? I’d hate to go through the trouble of planting them if there not going to make it.
And, when does the “fall planting season” start? Can I plant now without problems?
Thanks for any help.
Azalea’s would not survive the winter in PA, imho.
Azalea’s in general? That can’t be right. They are common enough around here in peoples yards. Maybe there aren’t actually rated for this zone, but can survive it anyway though.
Lowe’s and other home improvement stores have been known to do this; their managers/employees are not notably high on garden expertise.
I see elsewhere that this azalea is rated hardy to zone 6-6b, which still makes it marginal at best in your climate, and even if you wanted to chance it, spring planting would be the way to go (to give it a chance to establish before cold weather).
“Fall planting season” is a general term referring to planting when the weather has started to cool, but well before the ground freezes. Plants known to be hardy in your area often do well with fall planting; again, marginal stuff (including mums) is optimally planted after warm settled weather arrives in spring.
You might be seeing rhododendrons in your area. They are very similar in appearance to azaleas but are much more cold-hardy. We can even grow them here in Minnesota. You could look on your university extension service’s website to see if they have a list of cultivars that do well in your climate.
No, they are azalea’s. I know people who have them in there yards.