Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Rhododendron x kosteranum 'Northern Hi-Lights'
Northern Hi-Lights Azalea
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Height
- 4 to 6 ft
- Width
- 4 to 6 ft
- Flower color
- Creamy white to yellow flowers with a bold golden-yellow blotch in the throat
- Foliage color
- Deciduous medium-green leaves
- Bloom time
- Mid to late spring (April-May)
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; remove spent flowers; prune lightly after bloom as needed
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Wildlife
- Flowers attract bees and other pollinators
About this plant
Rhododendron x kosteranum 'Northern Hi-Lights' is a deciduous azalea with an upright, spreading habit and fresh green foliage that turns warm shades of yellow and orange in autumn. In mid to late spring, fragrant trusses of funnel-shaped flowers open creamy white to yellow, each bloom marked by a dark yellow flare and subtle red or orange spotting in the throat. The flowers appear before or just as the leaves expand, creating a luminous spring display.
This cultivar was developed as part of a breeding program aimed at producing cold-hardy azaleas with refined flower color and fragrance. 'Northern Hi-Lights' combines dependable spring bloom with seasonal foliage interest and is well suited to naturalistic plantings, mass groupings, and foundation areas in cool-climate gardens.
Works well in
Sun Gardens · Foundation Plantings · Cottage Gardens · Fragrant Gardens
Companion plants
Tulips · Beautyberry · Coreopsis · Maiden grass · Sea thrift · California lilac
Design tip
Group several ‘Northern Hi-Lights’ together rather than scattering individual shrubs, allowing their upright, spreading forms to merge into a generous informal mass. This approach gives the soft spring display greater impact and makes the warm autumn foliage read as one broad sweep.
