As this is my first one, can you tell me if this tree is fully deciduous, or semi-evergreen? Some of the highly colored leaves are dropping now. It is gorgeous fall color! I will try to take a new shot of the coloring it has currently.
It really depends on the cultivar. I have some, like hino crimson, lose very few, if any. Others lose almost all of them and a few are in between.
This is my Hino yesterday:
Here is an unknown Kurume, most of its leaves have turned and are falling/will fall:
When it is done, only these will be left, the ones around the flowers:
Another Kurume, it loses a lot, but not as many as the one above:
Indicas do it to, this one is glacier white and has almost finished dropping leaves:
Satsukis are the same way, even though azaleas are considered evergreen, they are really semi-decidious. Another cool thing that I noticed is that the plants that have shades of red (red, pink, purple, and all shades in between) for flowers will develop a reddish tint to the leaves that they keep and the deepness of the tint is related to the intensity of the cold. White flowered azaleas' leaves will get a yellow tint to the ones that they keep.
John