The pink flowers of Caronella azalea (Rhododendron 'Caronella') are edged with dark pink fringes on this hybrid between an American azalea and an Asian rhododendron bred at the famous Weston Nurseries in New England. Butterflies are attracted to the fragrant flowers (a trait of its American azalea heritage). One quarter of the leaves are evergreen, and take on a reddish color in winter, while the deciduous leaves turn gold, orange, and red in fall.

All rhododendrons and azaleas require an acidic, moisture-retentive soil with protection from the direct sun during the heat of the day. For Chicago-area gardeners, this means heavily augmenting the native soil with peat moss, sand, and granular sulfur, or creating raised beds filled with peat moss and sand.