Roanoke area gardeners can win a garden makeover from Encore® Azalea. Are you someone with an admittedly brown thumb or a gardener with what you consider less than a perfect garden? Does it seem that no matter how hard you try, your garden seems to be the worst one in the neighborhood?
The Contest
Encore® Azalea is sponsoring a contest for gardeners, with a a garden makeover as prize. To win the makeover, submit photos of your garden and a short essay describing why you think your garden is the worst and deserves a makeover. Submit entries through the Encore Azalea website by April 4, 2011. Access "Makeover" through "Community" in the left-hand menu on the Encore® Home page.
Encore® employees will review all online submissions - photos and essays. Encore® Azalea inventor, Robert E. "Buddy" Lee, will then select the winning submission which will be announced on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.
Encore® Azalea will coordinate with the winning gardener as well as local growers to transform the "worst space" into a flourishing garden that enhances the winner's home and outdoor space. Encore® Azalea donates the plants and provides care instructions to ensure the azaleas have a full and healthy life, producing blooms season after season.
About Encore® Azalea
Plant breeder Robert E. "Buddy" Lee bred and introduced the evergreen Encore® azaleas. They are currently the world’s best-selling multi-season blooming azaleas, producing flowers spring, summer and autumn. They grow best in plant hardiness zones 6 through 9 /10 (with some protection). Here are more characteristics of Encore® azaleas:
- Twenty-four varieties,
- Little maintenance,
- Vibrant color,
- Attractive to butterflies,
- More sun-tolerant than traditional azaleas,
- Great as base plants in container gardens.
Encore® Azalea in the Roanoke Area
The Roanoke Valley area is in plant hardiness growing zone 7. All Encore® varieties should perform well in the Roanoke area when cared for properly. Varieties requiring protection from abrupt cold snaps or hard freezes in Zone 7 are:
- 'Autumn Starlite,'
- 'Autumn Sundance,' and
- 'Autumn Embers.'
There are numerous retailers of Encore® azaleas in the Roanoke area. However, not all retailers sell all twenty-three varieties. It is well to telephone ahead to learn what varieties are sold by which vendors. Here is an Encore® Azalea web site–based list of Roanoke area vendors of Encore® azaleas:
- Selected Home Depot stores,
- Selected Lowe's stores,
- Selected Sam's Club stores,
- Selected Kroger stores,
- Townside Gardens, 3614 Franklin Road SW, 24014, (540) 344-7025
- Country Corner, 4273 Challenger Avenue, 24012, (540) 977-4211, and
- Cascade Gardens, Route 25 East, 15875 Stewartsville Road, Vinton, 24179, (540) 890-8062
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