Azalea

Pink blooms crowding a southern garden in April, Azalea borrows its name from the flowering shrub whose Greek root, azaleos, means dry, a nod to the parched soil it famously tolerates. The name bloomed in American usage around 2012, nudged upward by pop star Iggy Azalea and a wider trend toward botanical choices beyond Rose and Lily. Three soft syllables land with a southern drawl, and the Z gives it a current, unexpected lift. It carries garden-club civility and festival pageantry in equal measure. Lush without being heavy, Azalea feels like a porch in full bloom.