Aromi Azaleas
Azalea ‘Clearcreek’, Photo by Maarten Van Der Giessen
Legacy Lead: Sherrie Randall ⇐ Click to send Sherrie an email
Hybridizer: Dr. Gene Aromi
Dr. Eugene (Gene) Aromi was an Education Professor at the University of South Alabama, and an ardent azalea hybridizer for over 30 years. In addition to producing evergreen azalea hybrids, he aimed to breed a better deciduous azalea. Crossing American native deciduous azaleas with Exbury varieties, he made over 1000 crosses, and described over 50,000 seedlings – over 100 have been named.
Bred for heat tolerance, disease resistance and fragrance, the Aromi hybrids have big flower trusses and vivid colors. The native azaleas he started with include:
- the Florida azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) with its yellow to golden orange blooms appearing just as the leaves begin to emerge
- the Coastal azalea (Rhododendron atlanticum) with fragrant pink blooms and a low-growing habit
- the Flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) with highly variable bloom in yellow, red, pink or orange in late spring
- the Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescens) with pink and white sweetly fragrant flowers, that grows to a tall shrub
Dr. Aromi’s work is nationally known with collections established in Texas, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and the National Arboretum in Washington, and most recently at the Mobile Botanical Gardens. The Aromi Azalea Hybrid Garden at the Mobile Botanical Gardens is in Mobile, Alabama.
Above information © 2016, Mobile Botanical Gardens
Dr. Eugene Aromi Photo by Mike Kitrell, Mobile Register |
Project Presentation: (None available at this time)
Project Attachments:
| Title | Author |
|---|---|
| Aromi Hybrids | Dr. Eugene Aromi |
| Eugene Aromi, Hybridizer | Frank Bryan |
| In Memory — Dr. Eugene Aromi, Aromi’s Jungle | Maarten van der Giessen |
| Named Aromi Deciduous Hybrids Chart | Dr. Eugene Aromi, Frank Bryan, Maarten van der Giessen |
| The Aromi Evergreen Hybrids Chart | Dr. Eugene Aromi, Frank Bryan, Maarten van der Giessen |