Autumn Fire Encore Azalea
Rhododendron hybrid ‘Roblex’ PPAF
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6b-9b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub
Height at Maturity: 3′
Width at Maturity: 3′
Spacing: 2.5′ for solid hedges; 5’+ for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Bushy, Dense, Mounding, Upright
Growth Rate: Moderate
Flower Color: Deep True Red
Flower Size: Large, 3″
Flowering Period: Mid-Spring, Late Summer, Early Fall, Mid-Fall
Flower Type: Semi-Double
Fragrant Flowers: No
Foliage Color: Dark Green, Purple tinted in Winter
Fragrant Foliage: No
Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun
Water Needs: Average, lower when established
Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sandy (amended), Silt
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist
Soil pH: 5.0 – 6.5 (Acid to Slightly Acid)
Maintenance / Care: Low, Average
Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer Resistance – more info, Drought (when well established), Clay Soil (heavy clay should be amended), Heat, Humidity, Sun
Description
In 1998, the release of the first reblooming Encore Azalea changed the Azalea world forever. Since then, over 30 Encore varieties have been released. When provided enough sunlight (6 or more hours per day) all varieties bloom in spring and then repeat summer into fall.
With flowers so brilliant you can see them from 500 yards away, Autumn Fire will set your landscape on fire with its LOADS of large, deep red flowers with black freckles in spring, summer, and fall. No picture we’ve taken does the flower color justice. You have to see it with your own eyes to appreciate the spectacular color. The flowers stand out nicely against a backdrop of deep green leaves that turn a deep purple in winter. Autumn Fire is one of the more cold hardy varieties of the Encore Azalea Series.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide, Autumn Fire Encore Azalea is a perfect choice for groupings, mass plantings, low hedges or an accent in landscape borders and home foundation plantings. Its fiery and freckled blooms, slower growth rate, and abundance of flowers makes it one of the best Encore selections for growing in containers and pots, which can be strategically placed to dress up decks, patios, porches, and other outdoor living spaces. Because they like sun to part shade, Encores do quite well under tall trees and in woodland borders. Butterflies love the flowers, and blooming branches serve very well for cutting to create stunning indoor floral arrangements.
Suggested Spacing: 2.5 feet apart for solid hedges; 5 feet or more apart for space between plants
Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6b, where this Encore Azalea variety is not winter hardy outdoors, you can enjoy it in containers that can be moved indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
We’ve been growing Encore Azaleas in our gardens since they were first released in the 1990’s and can say with confidence that when planted right, and in the right spot, Encore Azaleas are among the easiest azaleas easy to grow.
Soil: When planted in the ground, Encore Azaleas adapt well to most soil types. In general, like all other azaleas, the Encores prefer an organically rich, moist but well-drained acidic soil. Constantly soggy or wet soil is problematic for azaleas. Heavy clay, quick-draining sand, or otherwise poor soils are best amended with organic matter or other soil amendments to provide sufficient nutrients, better soil drainage, and/or moisture retention.
In containers, a 50/50 blend of professional potting mix and potting soil is suggested. Make sure the pot has a hole(s) in the bottom that allow for sufficient drainage. As mentioned above, Encore Azaleas do not like a constantly soggy soil.
Sun: Encore Azaleas will grow in sun or part shade. For best flowering and reblooming, we recommend at least 4 hours or more of direct sunlight per day. All-day lightly filtered sun, such as under tall trees, is okay. In regions that experience very hot summers with intense sunlight, Encore Azaleas might appreciate a break from direct sun during the mid afternoon hours.
Helpful Articles
Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Encore Azaleas
Planting Encore Azaleas
Pruning Encore Azaleas
Fertilizing Encore Azaleas
Watering Encore Azaleas
The Most Cold Tolerant Encore Azaleas
We are proud members of the ASA
Plant Long & Prosper!
Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff
Questions? Contact Us!
Very pleased with this plant. It was packaged securely and appeared very healthy upon arrival. It was full and balanced and even had a few blooms already. It is in the ground now and doing well. No dead spots/ brown leaves etc. Thank you!———————————————–You’re very welcome! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My azalea came packaged so as not to harm the plant. I already have one little flower on it.———————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Plants came in perfect shape, very healthy, very happy with Wilsons————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
These were priced very competively. They shipped quickly & arrived safely. I was very impressed. Frankly, these are not Box Store quality not this variety found in Box Stores. Wilson Brothers is the nursery to shop with.———————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
The plant I ordered arrived quickly, neatly packed and in very good shape. I planted it in a row with some others I had ordered elsewhere that were a bit cheaper, but were in much worse shape when they arrived. This one replaced one that had died over winter. With plants, it’s really worth it to just spend a few extra dollars if needed to get good quality. I’ve had good experiences with Wilson Bros and I do recommend them.—————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
This nursery is the whole package. The plants arrive very well packaged so no shipping damage and very healthy! They have thrived! Once they bloomed, one plant was clearly not the Autumn fire so I contacted Gabie in customer service and within a few days, I had a replacement plant. This plant also arrived in excellent shape. With free shipping, excellent customer service and beautiful plants, I highly recommend this nursery. I just wish I lived closer so I could visit in person! BTW when the Autumn Fire did bloom…AMAZING! It’s just covered up in beautiful double blooms! Definitely a show stopper! Wilson Bros Nursery will be my Go To nursery from now on!———————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Hi Folks,
Plants arrived in good condition and were planted within an hour. However, I want to make you aware that FedEx delivered the plants to 527 Tidewater Chase Lane NOT my address of 522 Tidewater. Fortunately the residents at 527 were home and brought them over on a two wheeler.
Best Regards.—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Your selections were great. And high five to the folks who delivered it to the right address! There’s still good people in the world:-) Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Plants arrived in good condition and were planted within an hour. However, I want to make you aware that FedEx delivered the plants to 527 Tidewater Chase Lane NOT my address of 522 Tidewater. Fortunately the residents at 527 were home and brought them over on a two wheeler.
Best Regards.—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Your selections were great. And high five to the folks who delivered it to the right address! There’s still good people in the world:-) Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
All the plants arrived and seemed to be in good condition. All have been planted. Looking forward to the Spring. Will plan on mulching them heavily this Fall.———————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
The Autumn Fire azalea I ordered arrived in perfect condition and delivery was quite fast. It has been in the ground a couple of weeks and it is putting on new leaves!————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Nice, large plants. My order seemed to have a rough trip to NEPA, however, once I planted and watered, they have perked up and are sprouting new leaves. I can’t wait to see it bloom!!——————————————-We are glad they are doing well. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
The bush came quickly, was securely packed with damp soil, and looked healthy coming out of the box. It seems to be thriving already, and I am looking forward to blooms.————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
We just re-done our front garden (hardscape) and have planted Encore azaleas. One of our red were damaged when something fell on it and I was having a very difficult time finding a replacement. This plant arrived on time and in excellent condition. Looking forward to seeing some blooms either this fall or next spring.——————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
The Encore “Fire” azalea I ordered from Wilson Bros was an experiment as I had never before heard of this nursery. I decided to give them a try when my local nurseries didn’t have this plant in stock in May of this year (or sold out very quickly). The free shipping also caught my eye, especially for the price!
The one gallon plant which was a nice specimen; not a skinny, end-of-the-season left-over as I was fearing, arrived quickly, was super-well packaged, not dried out and no broken limbs/leaves. These guys know what they are doing and will get more of my gardening business in the future.—————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks so much for the kind words and awesome review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
The one gallon plant which was a nice specimen; not a skinny, end-of-the-season left-over as I was fearing, arrived quickly, was super-well packaged, not dried out and no broken limbs/leaves. These guys know what they are doing and will get more of my gardening business in the future.—————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks so much for the kind words and awesome review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Lived near Wilson Brothers in Georgia for about 15 years and then they closed the nursery, They were our favorite nursery. Then we moved to Florida and I did not know about their online business. Found it by accident and so glad I did. Ordered several things I could not find anywhere at the local nurseries which are not even close to what I was used too. Azaleas and Hydrangeas all arrived healthy and well packed. They are doing well. Such a nice group of people. So glad I found you again.———————————–Yay! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks so much for the kind words and awesome review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My gallon pot Autumn Fire Encore Azalea arrived in terrific condition and has been planted since May 3, 2021. It has started new leaves and looks fine. I happily anticipate good growth and beautiful flowers. Thank you Wilson Brothers for another successful addition to my southern landscape.————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
This was a great way to order my plants! My son told me not to order plants on line, but when I saw your ad I was really impressed. Since you are in Georgia and I am in Florida, I thought I would give it a try. And I was not disappointed. The plants came well packaged, we planted them and they are doing great! Can’t thank you enough. Will order again from you.————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks so much for the great review and the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Received the Autumn Fire and very pleased. Thanks I will probably be ordering another soon.————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Azaleas arrived well packaged and looking great. Just watered them and planted the next day. Growing well.————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My Encore Azaleas arrived well packaged, healthy, with beautiful color and a few blooms intact. They were planted as instructed with amendments to clay soil and are doing well. Looking forward to seeing them grow and bloom.——————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Plants arrived as promised, but one damaged in transit. I contacted seller who immediately replaced it. Plants are healthy and I expect them to do well. Great service; I’ll order again.————————————-Sorry about the damaged one but we are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
Wow, what a wonderful suprise! She arrived in perfect health, looking forward to displaying her in the garden.———————–Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG
Ordered 7 One Gallon Encore Azaleas in different colors. They were packaged very well and arrived with no damage at all. These one gallon plants were nice and full, as good or better than you’d find at a local garden store and much better than any big box store. I very much like the one gallon version as the root ball is a modest size so planting them is not a major project, especially when you have hard native solid as I do.
Beautiful shaped plant and healthy! I can’t wait to see it in bloom. Packaging for all three of them was PERFECT. I will DEFINITELY shop with Wilson Brothers Gardens again!—————–Thanks for the great review, we are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG
Plant came healthy and in great shape. I look forward to seeing what the blooms look like next year. I love shrubs and flowers with double blooms. The red in the photo looks lovely. Fingers crossed.———————————————–Hi Diane, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Excellent service and the plants looked better than any plants I have ever ordered online. Would definitely recommend.——————————-WBG Reply: Hi K., Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
We are very pleased with this azalea that we received from Wilson Bros Gardens. It was packed well and is a healthy plant!——————————-WBG Reply: Hi Anne, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Absolutely perfect, healthy and luscious….as always! ——– WBG Reply: Hi Sharon – As always, thanks so much for your review of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea and let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
I bought this plant and Autumn Bonfire. Both were healthy when they arrived, and well packaged. I order a lot of plants online and have learned that some companies know how to prepare their plants for shipping, and some not so much.. Wilson Bros. Gardens knows what they are doing. My plants are in the ground and doing nicely. Not paying for shipping was an unexpected bonus. ——————– WBG Reply: Hi Lynne – Thanks so much for providing your review of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea and for the compliments. Glad to hear the azaleas are doing nicely and hope you enjoy them for years to come! Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beautiful plant. Only negative is they were out of 2 gal so had to settle for 1 gal pot. Got it in the ground just before leaving for a trip. Return home in a few days – hoping it is flourishing. —————– WBG Reply: Hi Dillie – Thanks so much for your review of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea you purchased from us and for the compliments! We hope you enjoy this magnificent azalea for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
My Autumn Fire Azaleas arrived on time in good condition. Hopefully it will bloom once more this season. ——— WBG Reply: Hi Charlotte – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review. We hope you get to see some more blooms this season. If not, definitely in spring. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
All my Encores doing great here in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. This one is no exception. All plants shipped have arrived in excellent condition with fantastic packing. No complaints either on the plant or the shipper. ——— WBG Reply: Hi Richard – Thanks so much for your compliments and review, and letting us and future visitors from Palm Beach Gardens know that the Encore Azaleas do great there. I like all the Encores with red tones but Autumn Fore is my personal favorite. The deep, true-red flowers are spectacular and produced in abundance. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. Plant long and prosper! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
The plants were well packaged with very little damage when received. They seem to be healthy and don’t show any signs of shock after being planted. They are not in bloom at the moment so I can’t truly complete a final review until the colors are actually confirmed to be what was ordered. So far..so good though. ———– WBG RESPONSE: Hi Mark – Just wait until you see the real-life color of the Autumn Fire Encore Azalea. It’s got to be one of the most vibrant red colored flowers I’ve seen on any variety of azalea, ever. This variety is a little slower growing than all the other Encores in my landscape, but it blooms exceptionally heavy from the first year….you can see it from a 100 yards away when in bloom! Thanks for your review and let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with.
The Autumn Fire azaleas arrived in good condition :). I planted them a little over a week ago and am waiting to make sure they survive and grow. So far so good 🙂 I contacted customer service once after ordering, and they replied promptly and were very helpful. Great service and products! ———- WBG RESPONSE – Hi Elizabeth. We want to thank you for taking the time to provide us and future visitors to Wilson Bros Gardens with your review. Perhaps the number one tip regarding the care of azaleas has to do with soil moisture. First, make sure plant with the top surface of the rootball at or above ground level, never below ground level. Planting depth will depend on how well your soil drains. You’ll find some simple step-by-step planting instructions under the Planting tab on this page. As with so many other ornamental plants, in average garden soil you should not have to water your newly planted Encore Azaleas every day. More often than not, this causes constantly soggy or wet soil conditions that will lead to problems with the roots. During the first growing season, in the absence of sufficient rainfall, water only as needed to keep the rootball and surrounding soil damp to moist. Keep in mind that deep soaking less frequently is much better than splashing just a little water on the plants every day. You’ll find more care tips under the Care tabs on this page that should ensure good long term health health and survival. Thanks again for your review and let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent / Wilson Bros Gardens
Plants came in very well packaged and the planats are very healthy,
I couldnt of asked for more. Love these plants
I couldnt of asked for more. Love these plants
Indescribable color! There was one bloom open and they are a deep bright red if that makes any sense? The plants were a little smallish but in very good shape and with purple foliage, which was a surprise. The plant has many buds and I can’t wait to see it in full bloom. I have several other varieties of Encore Azaleas but think that this one is my favorite. Very happy!
The two plants I ordered were in good condition upon arrival. The packaging was intact and had no difficulty opening when needed. Good product!























Reviews
There are no reviews yet.