Azaleas need to be grown indoors during the winter as they are not hardy, they can be put outside in May and brought back in late September.

I'm somewhat confused by your question - the plant name mentioned is Rhododendron ponticum - if that is what you have in a pot (I'd be surprised if it is) then it will go outside, but it is a suckering rhododendron and pretty invasive.

I think they come into the same Family Bamboo ? But Azaleas r smaller ?

Yes, Jacque, that's right, but Rhododendron ponticum is a specific plant, often used as a rootstock for other rhods and azaleas. There is also an Azalea ponticum, just to confuse us all further, lol, not to mention that Japanese azaleas are different from other azaleas - some can be grown outside, some azalea varieties will only survive inside in the winter here.

We have azaleas that are in the garden all year round - it really depends which one you have. I would, like Bamboo, be highly surprised if you have R. ponticum in a pot. It grows to a huge size and is now considered to be a problem plant.

J. generally azaleas have smaller leaves and some are deciduous but they can grow to a couple of metres in height. They are al part of the same 'family'

Goodness!!! So much to learn Bamboo/MG :) lol

Bet you wish you'd not said anything now, Jacque, lol;-)))

Nope im glad i did ;) lol

Oh! dear, need more water in my whiskey, I didn't read all the question. If it is a R. ponticum I would be digging it up and burning it.

I bet it isn't, though - it's probably one of those little flowering jobbies that are given as Christmas presents. No idea what their latin name would be, though - but NOT R. ponticum, that's for sure!

I would agree with that Barbara, perhaps they could come back with a photo.

Indeed Barbara... the sad thing is most of those little flowering jobbies have not be properly cared for by the supermarket/garden centre and their life span is minimal...

Yes - and isn't that sad! :-(((

Yes it is and sadly In my very much younger days I was involved in that practice (growing bulbs) the idea was if it had a flower on it somebody would buy it at Christmas for twice as much as it was worth, and they would never get them to grow again. I soon learned better.

I'm sure you did Dr B... I want to tell folk why by flowering azaleas etc in the supermarket 'Do you realise that plant has be forced to flower now? Not only that it has not received the care and attention it needs to continue to grow on.' Our local Lidl is an appalling culprit. Plant sitting on racks with no way to water and no interest from the staff. They were selling off the 'dead' poinsettias cheap and I heard one woman say to her daughter 'If I water it and look after it, it will be fine' I simply looked at her and shook my head...

Rhododendrons and azaleas belong to a huge family of plants - there are something like 900 species plus several thousand cultivated varieties. The species come from the Arctic and tropical Asia plus everywhere in between.
So it is going to depend on which of the species your azalea has been bred from as to how much cold it can take

The "Azalea" (all now in the genus Rhododendron) that is used as a houseplant used to be called Azalea indica (now Rhododendron simsii) is half hardy, that is why it is a house plant over here. There are many named colour forms of it.

The nearest group to it are the so-called Japanese Azalea's that are of course fully hardy.