Autumn Ivory is the little white one in the Encore azalea family: a dwarf, mounding shrub around 2 to 3 feet, loaded with bright white single blooms in spring, again in summer, and once more in fall. Its size makes it easy to use in containers and low foundation plantings.

Like all Encores it wants more sun than old-fashioned azaleas; morning sun with afternoon relief is ideal in Birmingham. Give it acidic, well-drained soil, mulch, and steady water the first year. Prune, if at all, right after the spring bloom.