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Key characteristics

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

Shrubs

Rhododendron ‘Blue Danube’

Blue Danube Azalea

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.

Light

Partial shade to part sun

Water

Average

Bloom time

Late spring (typically April to May)

Find this plant

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.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)