Illustration
Bixby Azalea
Rhododendron 'Bixby'
Also called bixby evergreen azalea and bixby rhododendron
Bixby Azalea blooms from May through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Bixby Azalea
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. Expect it to reach about 2 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 10 years (checked).
Is Bixby Azalea toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension, Pet Poison Helpline and Royal Horticultural Society.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Bixby Azalea
Plant Bixby Azalea in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms in May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Bixby Azalea get?
2 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Bixby Azalea in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Bixby Azalea
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Bixby Azalea about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Bixby Azalea to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Bixby Azalea's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 12 published sources on October 5, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Plant Addictsthe store this queue entry namesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- mackeysgrows.comMackey's (garden and farm store, Connecticut)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil and diseases
- pridescorner.comPrides Corner Farms (wholesale grower, Lebanon, Connecticut)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- westonfarmtodoor.comWeston Nurseries Farm To Door (the introducer's storefront, NetPS Plan...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- westonnurseries.comWeston Nurseries, Azalea Guideline (the introducer's own guide, Hopkin...hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- NC State ExtensionRhododendron GENUS pagesun, water, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- rhododendron.orgAmerican Rhododendron Society (Hybrid Azalea Plant Description, ID 25)height, hardiness zones, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags and diseases
- atlanticrhodo.orgAtlantic Rhododendron & Horticultural Society (Nova Scotia), Proven Pe...height, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and years to mature size
- scholar.lib.vt.eduAmerican Rhododendron Society Plant Registry, Spring 1989 (JARS v43n2;...height, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and diseases
- brokenarrownursery.comBroken Arrow Nursery (Hamden, Connecticut)hardiness zones, bloom months and color and trait tags
- scholar.lib.vt.eduJournal American Rhododendron Society v53n4, The Weston Hybrids (Dick...hardiness zones, bloom months and color and diseases
- ASPCAAnimal Poison Controltoxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Bixby Azalea
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts contain grayanotoxins. Toxic to dogs, cats and horses: vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and in serious cases cardiac failure. Pets and livestock are poisoned more readily than people. per ASPCA
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.