A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 "florist" azaleas

was checking the gardening section in wal-mart today and saw they had small pots of azaleas marked "florist azalea" for only $2. what is the difference? the pots were only about 2 inches and the plants themselves were about 6 inches tall. i was going to plant azaleas in front under the pine tree to fill in some space there and was wondering if these little guys will be ok. were they bred just for florists and will they die in the winter? or are all azaleas perennials?

"florist azalea's" usually only live indoors..
They are not hardy to freezing temps..
Treat them as a houseplant... or can live out
doors come summer time and brought back in in the
winter...

If you're adventurous and they're reasonable in price, because of me being an experimenter...
If you really wanted to see if they'd be okay outdoors, buy them, leave them in your house until no more frosts... and then find a place that might be considered a "micro climate" by the base of your house..
Something like a South facing, raised bed, patio/stones/cement by it to keep it warmed?????
You might get it to over winter, but it's hard to say???

Usually those kinds, say, anything you'd buy in a grocery store or florists are not bred to be long lived...

thanks- that's pretty much what i was guessing but hey- for $2 each i wanted to ask! LOL on a side note- they started putting out their bare root plants too! i'm gonna go after i get paid and buy a few!

I may never be able to stick to a budget again now that I've discovered gardening.