This group of Azaleas the first to be introduced into cultivation in Europe/United States by E. H. Wilson when he visited Kurume (Japan) in 1918. Two sets of these fifty varieties (out of the 250 then grown) were bought by him for the Arnold Arboretum, where they were propagated and further distributed. Wilson gave English names to his fifty, which are not translations from the Japanese but invented by him. They are rarely used, the Japanese names being more memorable, even if difficult to pronounce correctly.
They are not widely grown, partly because they are thought to be tender. A few are definitely tender, but these have mostly dropped out of commerce; the rest are hardier than generally supposed, though like many other evergreen azaleas they may suffer damage from frost when young. The flowers are small, but borne in wonderful profusion in late September or October. In several varieties the calyx is petaloid, i.e., converted into a sort of outer corolla, colored and marked like the true corolla. Although the result of several generations of breeding, they have retained the dense and comparatively dwarf habit of their wild ancestors. They tolerate full sun, and woodland conditions are quite alien to their nature.e colour range, from white through to pink, red purple and multi-colours on the one flower.
Here at Blackwood Ridge we are collecting the entire wilson 50 one plant at a time and hope to have them available over the next few years, once seen these Azaleas will capture your heart and amaze the senses they must been seen to fully appreciate the beauty of centuries of breeding of these truly garden treasures.
The Wilson 50
“In the garden of Mr. Akashi I selected and obtained a double set of the under- mentioned fifty varieties of these Azaleas which I consider the best, and these safely reached the Arnold Arboretum on April 24, 1919. The names are those of the originator, Akashi, and therefore authentic. The plants will be propagated and distributed under these names and, owing to the reprehensible habit of changing names by Japanese nurserymen, will probably remain the only set with standard names in existence.” E H Wilson – Plant Hunter
No. 1. SEIKAI flowers white, hose-in-hose
2. KURENO YUKI flowers white, hose-in-hose
3. SHIN SEIKAI flowers creamy white, hose-in-hose
4. YOROZUYO flowers white
5. NANI WAGATA flowers white, suffused with salmon-pink
6. TANCHO flowers flesh-color, hose-in-hose
7. HACHIKA TSUGI flowers white, suffused with lavender
8. IROHAYAMA . flowers white, margined with pale lavender
9. Hoo flowers white, tinged with pink
10. STJIYOHI flowers flesh-color
11. TAKASAGO flowers pale pink, the color of apple-blossoms
12. KASUMI GASEKI flowers pale pink
13. BIJINSUI flowers pale pink
14. ASAGASUMI flowers rose-pink, hose-in-hose
15. KIMIGAYO flowers pink
16. AZUMA KAGAMI flowers deep pink, hose-in-hose
17. OSARAKU flowers white, suffused and margined with lavender
18. OTOME flowers blush pink
19. AYA KAMMURI flowers rose-color
20. SHINTOKI No HAGASANE . flowers rose, shading to pink, hose-in-hose
21. SAOTOME flowers rose-color
22. KIRIN flowers deep rose, shading to silvery rose
23. TAMAFUYO flowers white, striped peach-color
24. KIRITSUBO flowers rosy mauve
25. OMOINE flowers pale lavender
26. OINO MEZAME flowers deep rose-color
27. KATSURA No HANA . . . flowers rose-color
28. SHIN UTENA flowers pale salmon
29. KUMO No UYE flowers pure salmon
30. BENIFUDE flowers salmon
31. SUGA No ITO flowers pure pink
32. KASANE KAGARIBI …. flowers dull salmon-red
33. TSTJTA MOMIJI flowers bright red
34. SUETSUMU flowers crimson
35. FUDESUTE YAM A flowers light red
36. IMA SHOJO flowers bright red, hose-in-hose
37. RASHO MON flowers scarlet
38. WAKA KAYEDE flowers red
39. YAYEHIRYU flowers bright scarlet, hose-in-hose
40. KURAI No HIMO flowers carmine, hose-in-hose
41. AGEMAKI flowers carmine
42. HINODEGIRI flowers bright crimson
43. AIOI flowers color of almond-blossoms, hose-in-hose
44. SAKURA TSUKASA. . . . , flowers rosy mauve
45. TAMA No UTENA flowers pale salmon
46. GOSHO ZAKURA flowers white, striped peach-color
47. UKAMUSE flowers vermilion, hose-in-hose
48. HINODE No TAKA …. flowers crimson
49. OSARAKU SEEDLING . . . flowers white, suffused and margined with lavender
50. HANA ASOBI flowers red