Ben Morrison

This fairly famous evergreen was named to commemorate B.Y. Morrison, who in the 1930's and 1940's created the Glen Dale Azaleas. This important collection of evergreen hybrid azaleas was created with the goal to develop large flowered, but winter hardy, azaleas such as seen in the milder parts of the southeastern states. 'Ben Morrison' is one such hybrid that those involved felt most closely achieved Ben's goal. It is an upright, evergreen rounded shrub that, if left un-pruned, will reach 6 feet tall and wide in a decade. The 2.5-inch wide single blooms are produced in late mid-season, the last of April to the first of May... and last for about two weeks like most azaleas. The overall effect of the bloom is pink with an irregular jagged white border. Inside the pink field is a large blotch of dark red freckles concentrated on the upper three petals.