Gorgeous ! I can only imagine your 360 tour of this spectacular Native American. WOW !!! The person that does the bush hogging around it has enjoyed it for years. Years of growth to get this size (10-12 foot high and wide ???) Looks as if it is in full sun all day.
I love unexpected stoppable moments. They're the best. At the right place at the right time. Even the time of the day for taking the picture was good. Not much of a shadow.
The pictures are always a plus for those of you that can do it . They show a thousand words to the eye. With my imagination two thousand words.

Wowser!! That is awesome. Could that be some sort of state record? Probably not, given the things growing at Bellingrath, but that is a sight to behold. Thanks for sharing.

Another wow here. That's a big, beautiful plant.

Agreed - wow on the color and its' size! Actually threatening to reach overhead wires. Why is this color so rare?

That is incredible!! There are several of those in my immediate area, but of course not nearly that large. Some are pretty sizable, though. I suspect a nursery around here sold them years ago, because most are large and planted near homes from the 60's and 70's.

Gorgeous!
Susan

Love that color!!

Just plain wow.....

is that r. austrinum, nelson?
if it is and purpleinopp is not familiar, it is one of our native azaleas and also fragrant. they are not what i would call rare. maybe the phrase applies: uncommon except where locally abundant. ;-)
the florida flame azalea can be found in nurseries and is planted througout its growing range in home landscapes by admiring gardeners.
if it is not r. austrinum, nevermind my above comments. :-)
it is a very beautiful specimen, however.

Thanks for the info, Jeff! I've seen some around, but the other colors are so much more prevalent. (Agreed "rare" was a poor choice of words here.) Good to know they might be worth a sniff. Definitely now on my short-list for shrubs as gifts.

Good to hear from you Jeff, and you're probably right about it being r. austrinum. They are said to be tolerant of heat, humidity and drought, and come in an array of colors. They must also be tolerant of full sun, which surprises me.

It was growing on an abandoned ranch-style homesite, so you even got the decade(s) right ;-D There were several, more common azaleas on the premises that were approaching great size. Only hope the power company doesn't come through and plow this one out of their right-of-way some day.

BTW, purpleinopp...how do I get on your gift list?!

Glad everyone likes the pic. I just couldn't keep this to myself.

Nelson