How is azalea different from rhododendron and gardenia or is it the same thing: what is the difference between azalea and similar flowers in the photo?

Azalea is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful ornamental plants. As a rule, it fits perfectly into the interior and serves as a good decoration for the house. Moreover, the azalea has several "doubles", so similar to it that they are often confused.

But each plant similar to azalea has differences from it, which should be taken into account when choosing an indoor plant: inexperienced florists can mislead you by calling it "copy" of azalea.

You will also become aware of what a flower looks like in the photo, similar to azalea, but not one, and what it is called.

Which plants are similar?

One of the azalea doubles is rhododendron. Both flowers belong to the heather family, but are different plants. Rhododendron is so similar to azalea that on some sites you can find the spelling "azalea (rhododendron)" and decide that it is one and the same. However, it is incorrect.

Reference! This error is a consequence of the error of the famous biologist Karl Linnaeus, who at one time attributed 6 species of rhododendrons to the genus Azalea. This was later recognized as false, but among gardeners it has become entrenched and since then they call these six species of rhododendrons azaleas, and the remaining three are rhododendrons.

It is this understanding of the word "azalea" that is supposed in the article. Opinions on how to classify azalea are still fragile.

Another “copy” of azalea is gardenia, which will also be discussed later.

Description and photos of doubles

Rhododendron is an evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous street large plant, which is a bush 2 meters high (less often - below) with multi-flowered inflorescences. The plant has glossy leathery leaves, and the inflorescence can have from fifteen to twenty flowers, which makes a sprig of rhododendron, supplemented with small flowers or herbaceous plants, a full-fledged bouquet. Two types of rhododendrons are suitable for cultivation in the middle lane: Daursky and Canadian.

Daurian Rhododendron

Usually it grows up to two meters, its branches are directed upwards, the leaves are small and do not completely fall in the winter. The flowers are funnel-shaped and very large (up to four cm), pink-purple. Flowering lasts a month, but in the fall it can bloom again. Daurian rhododendron grows slowly, but it is very winter-hardy.

Canadian

This is a stunted deciduous shrub no more than one meter in height with long leaves (up to 6 cm). The flowers of the Canadian rhododendron are pink-purple, up to 5 on short branches. Like Daurian, it is winter-hardy. If hives are located in the country, this type of rhododendron is better not to grow here.

Gardenia Jasmine

The only type of gardenia suitable for growing at home is jasmine gardenia. This is a small bush with a height of 45-50 cm with beautiful glossy dark green leaves. Gardenia blooms from July to October, with the proper care of a lot of flowers appear. They are large, terry, white, resemble rose flowers. At the same time, they smell very fragrant.

What is the difference?

So what is the difference between azalea and rhododendron or gardenia?

Rhododendron is an exclusively street plant, usually an evergreen. It is much larger and more durable than azaleas, it is used in landscape design. At the same time, rhododendron should not be grown at home, unlike azaleas, exclusively domestic plants, because garden azaleas are grown only in warm places (we talked about planting azaleas and propagating the flower, as well as some nuances of rooting the plant on our website).

Gardenia, like azalea, is a home flower. But the gardenia flower lasts only 4 days, less than the azalea flower. Therefore, in flower shops, azalea is usually sold already blooming, and gardenia is exposed when it only has buds. Gardenia is thermophilic, while azalea loves coolness.

Important! It is worth evaluating what temperature is usually maintained in your home (or in the specific room where you are going to grow your flower) when choosing a plant. With this gardenia you need more light than azaleas. Subtleties in caring for plants also vary.

Learn more about how to care for azalea here.

How to find the differences?

The most reliable, perhaps, will be to ask sellers in large stores or ask a question on the forums of flower growers. But There are several details that make it clear which plant is in front of you. We provide step-by-step instructions:

Estimate the size of the plant. Rhododendron is much larger than azaleas. Depending on the type, it can reach a height of 2 or 1 meter.
Azalea is a dwarf bush 30-50 centimeters high. At the same time, gardenia can reach 180 cm in height, and although they usually do not sell such tall bushes, it is immediately clear that it is higher than the azalea.
Ask the seller if the plant you intend to buy is intended to be grown outdoors or at home.
Or look at the department in which you acquire the plant. Of these three flowers, only rhododendron is sold as a street plant.
Look at the color of the flower and count the number of stamens. The azalea and rhododendron flowers are similar in color, but the jasmine-shaped gardenia flower is significantly different: it is white, larger than that of the azalea, and looks like a rose (while the azalea flowers usually resemble a lily).
Moreover, rhododendron has ten or more stamens, and azalea has only five.

Using the material of the article, it will be easy to find out and choose the right plant. Knowing the difference between rhododendron, azalea and gardenia is very important.because they require really different care.