The azaleas in this group are sometimes illustrated and described in gardening books as Azalea simsii or Azalea indica, which is rather misleading because their origin is so complex that they cannot be related to one species. It is less confusing if they are referred to as Indian azalea hybrids. The prefix 'Belgian' is often added because millions of plants are raised in Belgium every year of which about 85 per cent are exported.This group contains some of the most attractive and beautiful flowers of all the evergreen azaleas, but the plants are not frost-hardy and need the protection of a greenhouse during the cold months of the year. A l l gardeners will be familiar with these plants as they are the azaleas sold by florists. In fact they are sometimes referred to as the 'florist's azalea'.
