This plant a wild plant and grows on the edge of the woods. It is bushy with woody type of stems. It has very pretty jewel like blue flowers. The flower has a sweet smell. Blooms early spring and only lasts a few days. I am in zone 5A or B. Was wondering if anyone knows what this would be. I have searched my plant books with no luck finding it. ( photo / image / picture from Chrisle's Garden )
The leaves look a little like a deciduous azalea, but I have never heard of a blue azalea. Sorry I can't help more.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load ... 17264.html I dont know. There were some other sites when I looked it up, but the ones they showed were more pink or red. I thought I had seen purple or blue azaleas someplace, but cannot recall where. I love blues and purples in flowers, so I remember things like that. Whatever your flower is, it is very lovely and a keeper.
AAnightowl--I have seen several of the azaleas & rhodies listed on that link and they look more purple to me than blue. Maybe the color in the poster's photo is off?
It reminds me of the flowers of the Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) which is a Canadian wildflower with woody stems. However I'm not 100% sure of my ID so maybe someone else will be ID it for you more accurately.
Purple and blue are two of the most difficult colors to photograph true to color and if the color adjustment on your monitor is a little wonky then the color you see won't be the same as the color in the original photo. If the color of the photo was adjusted using Photo Shop or another such software the color might be a bit off too. So I would go more with the flower form and the shape of the leaves. Check out Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) click on this blue link to see some photos you can compare with your plant. Also, do a google.com search for blue Azalea and check out the photos you find. I am kind of leaning to the Rhododendron 'Blue Diamond' http://www.pbase.com/azaleasociety/image/139241312
I too would go with azalea/rhododendron. There are lots of lavender and purple blue ones. Here are a couple different ones from my yard. One has a broader leaf and the last has a tiny leaf. These two happen to be evergreen. There are also deciduous blooming ones. The last one blooms in April here in the maitine region of WA state. Leaf size varies lots from variety to variety. Are either similar? Azalea ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )
Thanks everyone! I have looked at the links and the flowers there are very close. The picture is an original and not altered in any way. I think I have found out what it is. One name for it is a Rhodora. Azalea canadensis (L.) and Rhodora canadensis (L.). I would add the link to the article but I don't know how to do that. I wonder if I could transplant one of these to my flower garden. There are plenty of them in the woods and fields but no one can see them to enjoy their beauty.
Why not try? Just be sure to mulch & provide moisture. Do you happen to know if it is deciduous or not?
I would tie a string or ribbon on some of the bushes [to ID them later], and wait until you get some good soaking rains in your area. The shrub will transplant better, and be more likely to survive the move. You might also try to take some cuttings of them and root them? Most things do not like to be transplanted in hot dry weather.
AA--She lives in New Brunswick, Canada. I don't think she has to worry so much up there about hot dry weather. They should be well into fall at this point.
Here in the PNW we transplant rhodies and azaleas in the spring after they have flowered. They have shallow thick root masses generally. Good luck, that is a lovely plant.
I picked out a couple of nice bushy ones and put neon orange tape on them. In the spring I will dig a couple of them up and try to grow them near the house. I believe they are deciduous so I hope they take to the soil away from the woods. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.
you might try a soil test to see what it is growing in. i'm far from an expert, but have recently learned some things do well in acidic soil, and some well ..
