Autumn Kiss, the latest addition to the Encore Azalea collection, was named a Cultivate Retailers’ Choice Award winner at AmericanHort Cultivate’25 on July 14, 2025. The variety was one of 15 winners selected from 53 nominated products, standing apart for its hot pink to light pink blooms, compact habit and growth characteristics. The award highlights continued development within the Encore program toward compact varieties and new color expressions.
Robert “Buddy” Lee, director of plant innovation at Plant Development Services and founder of the Encore Azalea program, shared details on the development of Autumn Kiss, its traits in the marketplace and the future of the Encore Azalea collection:
What was the development process for Autumn Kiss?
“I’ve been looking at this particular plant for about eight to ten years. My process involves following a promising plant across generations, selecting from seedlings, and ensuring that the traits I’m most excited about are stable. Finding a winner means striking the right balance; choosing traits that will catch consumers’ eyes on store shelves, demonstrate strong propagation and performance for growers, and deliver the resilience landscape professionals rely on.”
At what point was Autumn Kiss recognized as a particularly promising variety?
“With Autumn Kiss, as with most of the plants I breed, it wasn’t love at the very first bloom. But as it matured, that first spring brought this incredible blast of color, and it flowered so vigorously it almost looked as though it had been greenhouse-treated. My growers started sending me pictures saying, ‘Look at this!’ That’s when it clicked. And when the plants weathered an extremely cold winter without burnt stems, the variety earned its place.
Success to me isn’t simply about bloom power; I like to give my plants a few years to prove themselves. A particularly standout quality of Autumn Kiss® is its vigorous roots; it anchors itself quickly in the native soil and thrives, which to me is the mark of a great plant.”
Describe the unusual bloom color on this variety.
“The blooms are 3-4” across, and have a light pink to white center with a darker pink edge and a crepe-paper texture. In spring, the bloom hues are more intense; in late fall, they’re softer. The center petaloids are a solid, saturated pink, which is where the “kiss” name comes from: they look like pink lips. Its massive spring bloom is spectacular, but even sporadic blooms are showy because there’s so much complexity to the bloom hue.”
What makes this variety appealing to retailers and industry professionals
“For retailers, the ‘wow’ factor of the blooms helps this variety stand apart on the rack, and its compact size is what consumers are looking for right now. For landscaping professionals, it’s frankly a pretty tough little azalea. Autumn Kiss establishes itself well into garden soil or a raised bed, and it makes for a gorgeous container planting. It also doesn’t need much pruning to maintain, and it has excellent heat and environmental tolerances.”
Are there hidden strengths to this variety?
“Most people call it a dwarf, but I’d say it’s more of a mid-dwarf, topping out at 3-4 feet. Autumn Kiss has a strong, healthy root system, which allows for better pest tolerance, leaves that hold their glossy shine in full sun, and resilience against environmental stressors. It doesn’t produce many long shoots and stays neat and mounding, making it a versatile, tidy little plant.”
What can we expect in the future from the Encore program?
“Looking ahead, I’m focusing on traits like leaf color and fragrance- projects I’ve been working on for years that are now showing promising results. As a plant breeder, sometimes your imagination runs ahead of reality, but that’s part of the fun. I’m exploring new leaf colors, different flower forms, more intricate color patterns in azaleas, and even stronger plants overall. I have so many goals, but they all branch from the same start: the search for a beautiful plant that performs.”
Available to growers now and consumers in spring 2026, Autumn Kiss marks the 37th variety in the Encore Azalea collection, the top-selling reblooming azalea worldwide.
