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Publication #FPS509

Rhododendron x 'George Tabor' 'George Tabor' Azalea1

Edward F. Gilman2

Introduction

Profuse, pink springtime blooms are so plentiful and large that they completely hide the foliage, making 'George Taber' azalea a favorite landscape shrub in the south. This large, spreading evergreen azalea is most impressive when used in mass plantings but makes an attractive specimen planting as well. Plant in mass on 4- to 6-foot centers.

General Information

Scientific name: Rhododendron x 'George Tabor'
Pronunciation: roe-duh-DEN-drun
Common name(s): 'George Taber' azalea
Family: Ericaceae
Plant type: shrub
USDA hardiness zones: 8 through 10 (Fig. 1)
Planting month for zone 8: year round
Planting month for zone 9: year round
Planting month for zone 10: year round
Origin: not native to North America
Uses: mass planting; specimen; attracts butterflies; cut flowers; foundation
Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range

Description

Height: 10 to 12 feet
Spread: 8 to 10 feet
Plant habit: round
Plant density: moderate
Growth rate: slow
Texture: medium

Foliage

Leaf arrangement: alternate
Leaf type: simple
Figure 1. 

Shaded area represents potential planting range.
Leaf margin: entire
Leaf shape: ovate
Leaf venation: pinnate
Leaf type and persistence: evergreen
Leaf blade length: 2 to 4 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: no fall color change
Fall characteristic: not showy

Flower

Flower color: pink
Flower characteristic: spring flowering; winter flowering

Fruit

Fruit shape: elongated
Fruit length: .5 to 1 inch
Fruit cover: dry or hard
Fruit color: brown
Fruit characteristic: inconspicuous and not showy

Trunk and Branches

Trunk/bark/branches: not particularly showy; typically multitrunked or clumping stems.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FPS509, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date October, 1999. Reviewed June, 2007. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Edward F. Gilman, professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.