Thanks Rhodyman,

Thank you for such a complete list.
They contain some of my favorites (Mandarin lights, Rosy lights and Lollipop).
I assume I can add these too:
Apricot surprise
Cannon's double
Lemon lights.
However my concern is about the exposure.
From mid May till Halloween it will be in bright shade.(maybe 30 minutes direct sunlight at sunset)
Will it not interfere with the plants flowering capability?
It will receive full sun, say from Halloween till mid may. But does that really count? The plant is dormant?
Basically, I want to narrow my choices to those plants happier in this kind of exposure.

Thanks,
Bob

They are good deciduous azaleas:

Apricot Surprise -35F, spicy scented (Northern Lights)

Cannon's Double -25F, slightly fragrant

Lemon Lights -40F, good aroma (Northern Lights)

Hi Rhodyman,
I'm sorry if my question was not clear.

Can any of the rhododendrons in the list below thrive in bright shade exposure?

Rhododendron apricot surprise
Rhododendron cannon's double
Rhododendron golden lights
Rhododendron lemon lights
Rhododendron lollipop
Rhododendron mandarin lights
Rhododendrons white lights
Northern hi lights
Rhododendron pink and sweet
Rhododendron rosy lights

Thanks again,

Bob

I don't know anything about Apricot Surprise.

The others should do very well in your situation.

You are right, the critical period in setting buds in mid summer.

Bright shade with some direct sun late in the day is good.

Thanks, now I can shop at ease :)

Have a flower full spring

Bob

'Else Frye' and Fragrantissimum are both early very fragrant varieties. Any of the deciduous Occidentale azaleas are fragrant and have EM blooming times (now.)

The original request is from Zone 4, Montreal, Canada.

Else Frye and Fragrantissimum are extremely tender (+15F) and

Also, I don't think anyone on the East Coast has been able to grow Occidentale even in temperate areas.

Hi Rhodyman! I'm in Olympia, Washington, in zone 8b and have a corner of my yard that is full shade (surrounded by western red cedar, doug fir, and alder) that I would like to have a scented, shade thriving, summer interest rhody. Am I asking too much??? Thanks for any help!

The "summer interest" portion might be difficult to achieve. Very few rhodies will bloom later than June and they or may not have much fragrance. However, some of the more fragrant selections tend to be species rhodies and many of those will have really nice foliage effect.

I'd suggest you visit the Rhododendron Species Foundation Garden in Federal Way in late May or early June (if travel is permitted then) to see one of the most extensive collections of both hybrid and species rhodies in the world. They also sell many of the plants they grow and species rhodies are hard to find in nurseries.

Full shade, scented, & summer interest is a tall order. Most rhododendrons will not bloom well or at all in full shade. Scented is doable, but only when they bloom. Summer interest most likely will be foliage.

Here is a rhododendron with fragrant flowers and tolerant of shade:

Janet Blair – 5', -20F. 'Janet Blair' has large, fragrant, frilled lavender pink flowers fading to a pale center and topped off by a blotch of yellow rays on the upper lobes. Blooms third week of May, and is better in moderate shade than most other varieties. Photo at http://rhodyman.net/rhodynfr.php#anchorH2a

One deciduous azalea has very fragrant flowers and does well in shade.

R. canescens – 5', -5F, Flowers can vary in shading from white to pink. Very fragrant. May blooming. Prefer moist, humus-laden, acidic soil but seem to do equally well in shade or sun. Photo at http://rhodyman.net/rhodynsh.php#anchorASS

Here are some rhododendrons that will bloom with a fair amount of shade. Bow Bells may be your best bet for 2 our of 3, shade and summer interest.

Bow Bells – 3', -5F. The pink flowers are followed by shiny, copper colored new leaves. As the season progresses, the mound becomes a superb jade green with rose-red bud scales for another show of color. Fertilize lightly if at all, as an excess of fertilizer will cause foliage burn more easily than on most rhododendrons.

Boule de Neige – 5’, -25F. The flowers are white, It blooms well in deep shade.

Elviira – 2', -30F. It grows well in shade. Flower buds open bright red.

Loderi King George – 6', 0F. Huge pale pink flower clusters that turn white as they mature. If given enough shade they are also drought tolerant.

Nova Zembla – 5', -25F. Dark red flowers in a ball-shaped cluster. Shade tolerant.

P.J.M. hybrid rhododendrons. Rhododendrons in the 'P.J.M.' group are smaller, growing to a height of 3 to 5 feet tall. Form is rounded and the foliage is leathery and dark green until fall when it turns almost purplish. One of the reasons rhododendrons in the 'P.J.M.' group are such heavy bloomers is that the plants do not set seed. They are among the most shade tolerant rhododendrons. They include the following:

• Black Satin – 3', -20F. It has dark rose-pink flowers. Fall and winter foliage is glossy and very dark purplish-black.
• Desmit – 1', -20F. It has vivid, showy, pink flowers.
• Elite – 4', -25F. It has vivid, showy, rich pink flowers.
• Henry's Red – 4', -25F. It has vivid, deep red flowers.
• Low Red Frilled 4', -25F. It has vivid red flowers.
• Molly Fordham – 4', -20F. It has vivid, white flowers.
• Olga Mezitt – 3', -25F. It has vivid, peach-pink flowersl.
• Regal – 5', -30F. It has vivid, light purplish-pink flowers.
• Victor – 4', -25F. It has vivid, light purplish-pink flowers.
• Weston's Pink Diamond – 5', -10F. It has frilled, double, vivid, pink flowers.

Ramapo – 2', -25F. Flowers are bright violet-pink. Tolerates shade.

Red River – 5', -20F. It is a red flowered maximum. It has the late bloom and the large leaves of maximum. The flowers, larger than maximum's flowers, are bright red with a white throat and small yellow dorsal flare. Tolerates shade.

Snow Lady – 2.5', +5F. It produces an abundance of snowy white flowers and has fuzzy green leaves.

To see photos of the flowers and more details, visit http://rhodyman.net/rhodynsh.php#anchorHR

I would just add that your planting situation - surrounded by western red cedar, doug fir, and alder- is a very common situation here in the PNW and you will frequently find rhodies growing in similar circumstances, including our native species, which is our state flower.