The annual event, now in its 17th year, provides azaleas to non-profits for their own beautification and landscaping projects, and can qualify them for additional awards of up to $500. All non-profits – from schools, churches, civic organizations to garden clubs – are eligible to participate. More than 130 non-profits participated in last year’s celebration with 11,000 azaleas distributed to them.
“The azalea is not only a beautiful plant, it is also relatively low maintenance,” said Jane Rogers, managing director of N.C. Beautiful. “Good mulching with pine straw, pine bark mulch, or composted organic material will help protect these plants when rain is as scarce as it is now. The plants are also adaptable to a variety of landscapes and gardens. Just a little care goes a long way.”
To enter, non-profit organizations must request an application by mailing a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: 2002 Azalea Celebration, P.O. Box 10155, Raleigh, N.C. 27605. Completed applications must be returned postmarked by Sept. 4.
N.C. Beautiful partners with WRAL-TV and Mix 101.5-FM, both of Raleigh, to provide the azaleas, which are propagated from the WRAL gardens, a project of the late A.J. Fletcher, a founder of WRAL. Recipients of azaleas are eligible for the A.J. Fletcher Award in 2005, which includes prizes of up to $500 and additional azaleas to organizations that have kept their azaleas alive and healthy over the three-year period.
