An Azalea, perhaps wild form? There is a forum called the garden clinic. We don't mind helping at solving problems for people as long as they need an i.d. too. It gives us something to talk about.What are you concerned about?

i dont see anything wrong with this azalea .. that is how they grow in MI .... they are just what i might call an open plant ... rather than the dense shrubs others int eh family can be ... i have no input on how they do in your area ...

to me.. the aggressive top growth.. might indicate heavy fert usage ...

it is a shrub.. there is a shrub forum ... which is much more active than the garden clinic forum ... and gets a much wider audience ...

i liked it for such a hot orange color in spring.. if you think about it.. that is more of a summer/fall color ...

ken

note form in link ... btw.. how long has it been there ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=deciduous+orange+azalea&t=ffcm&iax=1&ia=images

NHBabs I compared to several other sources and feel very good Rhododendron austrinum is correct. Thank you.

Thank you Ken but as I said in the OP, the disease is not regarding this specimen. I was asking for help finding the correct forum to ask about something else. Why they would title it "Garden Clinic" and not something simple and straight forward like plant diseases/problems is beyond me. Anyhow, sorted out now.

Somewhat unlikely to find a southern native plant in the PNW so not convinced that it is in fact Rhododendron austrinum :-) But there are endless selections of hybrid deciduous azaleas on the market, including Mollis and Exbury forms, and these tend to be very popular landscape plants n this area. Far more likely to be one of these than a Florida azalea, IMO.

Yeah it looks more like a hybrid than a pure R. austrinum.

Totally agree on R. Austrinum. Native azalea...

"Totally agree on R. Austrinum. Native azalea..."

As stated, rather unlikely in the PNW. Much more likely to be a hybrid like 'Arneson Gem' or 'Mandarin Lights'. Or one of countless unnamed Exbury hybrids.

I didn't notice "Vancouver" when I posted the it was R. austrinum, so I am perfectly happy with the idea that it's one of the garden hybrids.

I have several in my landscape. They will get quite leggy and tall. Mine are 15-20'. I have no problem keeping mine somewhat pruned and still maintaining numerous blooms. The branches break easily but new growth quickly appears from broke or cut stems. Torrential downpours, ice, snow and strong winds can prove a challenge in keeping a desired shape or size.