Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Rhododendron ‘Blue Danube’
Blue Danube Azalea
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 2 to 4 ft
- Width
- 3 to 5 ft
- Flower color
- Violet-blue to purple
- Foliage color
- Evergreen, dull to medium green leaves
- Bloom time
- Late spring (typically April to May)
- Light
- Partial shade to part sun
- Water
- Average
- Maintenance
- Low to moderate; remove spent flowers after bloom; light pruning only if necessary
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 6 (or 7a) through 9
- Wildlife
- Flowers attract bees and other pollinators in late spring; evergreen foliage provides shelter and cover for birds and small wildlife
About this plant
Rhododendron 'Blue Danube' is a compact evergreen azalea with glossy, medium-green leaves that often take on a subtle bronze cast in winter. In mid-spring it becomes covered in dome-shaped trusses of broadly funnel-shaped flowers. The blooms are violet to violet-blue, often with red spotting at the throat.
This cultivar has earned the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit for its reliable flowering and garden performance. Its compact habit, dense evergreen foliage, and cool-toned spring blooms make it a good candidate for mixed borders, woodland plantings, or container cultivation where its spring color and structure can be enjoyed close to pathways or entrances.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Borders · Containers · Woodland Gardens
Companion plants
Fatsia · Foamflower · Viola · Aucuba · Ferns · Trillium
Design tip
‘Blue Danube’ is a good choice near the front of a planting, where its low, spreading shape can soften the transition between taller shrubs and smaller plants. It also works nicely beside a walkway or entrance, where the violet-blue spring flowers can be enjoyed at close range.
