Encore Azaleas give gardeners something to cheer about season after season. These reblooming beauties produce a spectacular floral display in spring and then rebloom in summer and fall. During those seasons there will be times of transition when these shrubs have dropped their blooms and are preparing for the next round of flowering.
Missing that hit of color when your Encores’ blooms aren’t out? Here’s another way to look at it: Encores play a complementary role in the garden during these non-flowering times with their mid- to dark-green evergreen foliage, providing an ideal backdrop to highlight flowers from other shrubs, perennials, and annuals.
Need some summertime suggestions for what to pair with your Encores when the temperatures are high?
We have a few suggestions for plants that can be floral fill-ins while your Encores are transitioning to their next bloom stage.
Shrubs
The light pink blooms of Miss Lemon™ Abelia pop against the dark green foliage of Autumn Angel. An evergreen shrub itself, Miss Lemon’s foliage is lovely, beginning as a yellow with green centers, maturing to ivory and green. This item spreads into a mounding shape that is 3-4 ft. tall. Plant next to Autumn Angel® to showcase the best of both varieties. Miss Lemon is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9.
Jubilation™ Gardenia is another showstopper for which an Encore can provide a stunning companion. Its glossy dark green leaves are studded with double blooms that emit an intoxicating fragrance. With similar soil requirements to Encore Azaleas, gardenias make a perfect pairing. Plant this alongside Autumn Starburst®, a compact green-leaved shrub with white-and-pink bicolor blooms. The contrast in flowers between the two shrubs is enlivening. Jubilation is hardy in USDA Zones 7-10.
Perennials
The globular clusters of white trumpet-shaped flowers on Ever White™ Agapanthus sparkle against both the purple flowers and medium-green foliage of Autumn Majesty azalea. A season-long bloomer, Ever White’s flowers begin to bloom atop 2-ft. tall flower stalks in spring much earlier than most other varieties. Its clumping nature means it won’t become a “spreading bully”; and, with bright-green straplike leaves, it provides color and texture to a planting even when not in bloom. Hardy to USDA Zones 8-11.
Bells of Fire™ Tecoma is a bright red-orange trumpet-shaped flowering perennial that’ll fill in nicely when the red blooms of Autumn Bonfire® are on break. Its tubular flowers not only appear from spring through fall, they are also beloved by hummingbirds. In addition to being a pollinator plant, it’s drought and heat tolerant, as well as low maintenance. Bells of Fire is hardy in USDA Zones 8-11.
For an electric display that positively sizzles in summer, the dynamic yellow-green foliage of EverColor® ‘Everillo’ Carex pairs beautifully with any Encore from the collection. That being said, ‘Everillo’ positively pops with purple. Try it with Autumn Twist® for a texture-rich grouping that brightens dull or dim corners of the landscape. Once Twist’s signature white and purple bi-color blooms appear, the contrasting color shines against Everillo’s chartreuse foliage. Everillo is hardy to USDA Zones 5-9.
Annuals
Choosing annuals to pair with Encore Azaleas is like picking ice cream flavors to go with chocolate sauce. They pretty much all work! However, some annuals may work better than others, given lighting conditions and other environmental factors. The Garden Jewels™ Gerbera Daisy series comes in a number of colors. Pink and Frosted Hot Pink pair well with the medium pink blooms of Autumn Carnation. And when Autumn Carnation® isn’t in bloom, these cheery pink daisies float atop foot-tall stems, adding a pop of cheer to your garden.
As a general rule, planting white-, light pink- or light yellow-flowered annuals is a guaranteed way to bring attention-getting color to an Encore that is transitioning from one bloom stage to the next. The bigger the flowers, the better! Consider the large flat blooms of New Guinea Impatiens or the tubular flowers of grandiflora petunias (evening fragrance is an added bonus!). Cock’s comb celosia, tuberous begonias, and annual salvia all add color as well as texture to azalea plantings. The sky, or in this case the garden bed, is your only limit.