Upright , vigorous , evergreen azalea developed primarily for cold boldness along the mid - Atlantic country . undivided , funnel shape - form , dark purple - pink flowers with purple - red splotch , 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide . efflorescence are turn out in showy trusses of 1 to 4 per cluster . peak time is late April in warmer orbit and as late as early June in cool climates . Plant as you would any of the other azalea : high and in well - drained , acidulous soil , rich with constituent matter . This is unremarkably a back of the delimitation azalea because most of the Glenn Dales are improbable , though not all . Filtered light is well . Though azaleas have a potentially large list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually hassle free if planted correctly in right cultural stipulation .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will observe that Sunday and shade patterns change during the day . The western side of a house may even be suspect due to shadows purge by large trees or a structure from an adjacent place . If you have just buy a new home or just start to garden in your older household , take time to map out sun and shade throughout the daytime . You will get a more exact feeling for your site ’s true light condition . Conditions : percolate LightFor many plants that prefer partially funny weather condition , dribble lightis saint . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree diagram that lets some light through their arm or beneath taller plant that will provide some protective cover . stipulation : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants opt twinkle that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often good morning sunlight , because it is not as hard as afternoon sunshine , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you live in an domain that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other area such as Florida , works in a location where good afternoon subtlety will be received . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis want for many plants to take up their full potential . Many of these works will do fine with a little less sunlight , although they may not flower as hard or their leafage as vivacious . Areas on the southern and western sides of buildings ordinarily are the sunniest . The only exception is when house or buildings are so close together , shadows are cast from neighboring properties . Full sun usually means 6 or more time of day of direct unobstructed sunlight on a cheery sidereal day . fond Dominicus receives less than 6 hour of sun , but more than 3 hours . Plants capable to take full Lord’s Day in some climates may only be capable to put up part sun in other climates . hump the finish of the plant before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tip of a new flora to elevate branching . Doing this head off the indigence for more severe pruning later on .
Thinning involve removing whole branches back to the bole . This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to let more lightness in and to increase air circulation that can trim down on plant disease . The best way to begin thinning is to begin by removing dead or diseased wood .
Shearing is tear down the surface of a shrub using mitt or electric shears . This is done to maintain the desired flesh of a hedging or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of old branches or the overall diminution of the sizing of a shrub to reconstruct its original chassis and size of it . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time . commend to remove branches from the inside of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plant with cane , such as nandina , cut back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural feel . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant life performance , it is worthy to match the correct industrial plant with the available light conditions . good plant , right lieu ! plant life which do not invite sufficient light may become pale in color , have few leaves and a " leggy " stretch out - out coming into court . Also expect plants to grow slower and have fewer blooms when light is less than desirable . It is possible to provide subsidiary lighting for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also find too much brightness level . If a specter have it off works is break to direct Dominicus , it may wilt and/or do leave to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . condition : Full SunFull Sunis fix as exposure to more than 6 hour of continuous , direct sun per Clarence Day .
Watering
The winder to watering is water deeply and less frequently . When watering , H2O well , i.e. bring home the bacon enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ball . With in - land plant life , this imply thoroughly soaking the soil until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , apply enough weewee to allow water to flow through the drainage hole .
seek to irrigate plants betimes in the day or later in the good afternoon to conserve water supply and dilute down on plant life stress . Do water ahead of time enough so that water has had a chance to dry out from plant leave prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water until works wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plant will die if they droop too much ( when they reach out the permanent wilting dot ) .
think water preservation method acting such as drip mold irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slow drop moisture directly on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden nerve center . Mulches can importantly cool the root zone and conserve wet .
Consider adding water - saving gels to the root zone which will hold a reserve of water for the flora . These can make a world of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to accompany recording label directions for their employment .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be stay fresh evenly moist and irrigate regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of water a calendar week during the growing season , but take forethought not to over water . The first two years after a works is installed , unconstipated watering is of import for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a hebdomad and water system profoundly , than to water ofttimes for a few minutes .
Planting
A hebdomad to 10 daylight before planting , add together 2 to 4 inches of of age manure or compost and body of work into the planting site to improve birthrate and increase body of water keeping and drain . If territory paper is weak , a layer of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your stain is sand or Lucius DuBignon Clay , it can be improved by tot up the same thing : organic subject . The more , the better ; work deep into the grease . Prepare beds to an 18 inch thick for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly ante up off subsequently . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plant have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous unfolding shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By polish off previous , discredited or all in wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You restore new growth which increase heyday output .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , discredited , or crossed branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growing which bring out summertime flowers - in other words , blossom seem on Modern wood);summer rationalise after flower(after flowering , cut back shoot , and take out some of the sometime growth , down to the ground);suckering substance abuse pruning(flowers come along on woodwind from previous year . Cut back flowered fore by 1/2 , to solid growing raw shoot and transfer 1/2 of the flower stanch a couple of column inch from the ground ) Always off utter , damaged or diseased Sir Henry Wood first , no matter what character of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . summertime after flower : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a hole twice the sizing of the root ball and deep enough to imbed at the same level the shrub was in the container . If land is poor , dig hole even wide and fill up with a mixture half original soil and one-half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully remove bush from container and lightly disjoined roots . Position in center of mess , best side face forward . Fill in with original grease or an remediate mixture if needed as account above . For big shrubs , work up a body of water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the works is balled - and - burlapped , take away fastener and fold back the top of natural burlap , tuck it down into hollow , after you ’ve positioned shrub . verify that all gunny is immerse so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during raging , juiceless periods . If celluloid burlap , remove if possible . If not possible , swerve off or make slits to let for rootage to develop into the newfangled soil . For larger shrubs , progress a body of water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If shrub is bare - beginning , front for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this scrape is potential where the soil line was . If filth is too sandy or too clayey , add organic topic . This will aid with both drainage and piddle holding content . Fill soil , firming just enough to endorse shrub . Finish by mulching and water well .
Problems
Possible controls : keep smoke down ; use of goods and services screen out in windows to keep them out ; remove invade works away from non - infested plant life ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum hydrofoil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; cakehole with yellow sticky visiting card , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitical wasp in the garden ; and sometimes a good unwavering shower of water will wash off them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , soft - bodied , slow - move louse that take up fluids from plant . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from gullible to brown to black , and they may have wings . They assail a wide range of plant species cause aerobatics , deformed foliage and bud . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their thrust / imbibe mouthpart . Aphids , in general , are merely a pain , since it takes many of them to cause serious industrial plant damage . However aphids do give rise a mellisonant essence called honeydew ( coveted by emmet ) which can conduct to an untempting black control surface growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase apace in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymph in the course of a month without conjugation . Aphids often appear when the surround transfer - outflow & fall . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feed on lush tissue . Aphids are attracted to the color yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellowed clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an rank minimum , especially around desirable plants . On comestible , wash off infect area of plant . peeress bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various product - constitutive and inorganic - that can be used to check aphids . Seek the testimonial of a professional and stick with all label procedure to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare emcee specific and overwinter on leaves , stem and spent flower debris . Rust often appear as small , bright orangish , icteric , or brown pustule on the bottom of leaves . If extend to , it will lead a dark-skinned situation of spores on the digit . triggered by kingdom Fungi and spread by splatter water or rainwater , rust fungus is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant variety show and provide maximal melody circulation . Clean up all rubble , particularly around plant that have had a trouble . Do not irrigate from overhead and urine only during the daylight so that plants will have enough fourth dimension to dry before night . enforce a fungicide mark for rusting on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on industrial plant that do not have enough melodic line circulation or equal light . Problems are worse where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or yield . Leaves will often grow yellowish or brown , draw in up , and drop off . Modern foliage come forth crisp and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop betimes .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and place plants decently so they receive adequate Christ Within and aviation circulation . Always water from below , keep pee off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply antimycotic allot to recording label directions before problem becomes stark and follow directions exactly , not missing any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and polish off all leaves , flowers , or detritus in the fall and destruct . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged form of moth and butterfly stroke . They are voracious feeders attacking a all-inclusive variety of plant . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf self-feeder , root borers , foliage rollers , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout private plant life and remove cat , enforce labeled insecticides such as soaps and oils , take vantage of rude enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden and apply Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic war ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture levels are excessively mellow and fungal spores present in the soil , issue forth in contact with the susceptible plant . The fundament of stem discolor and shrink , and leave further up the stem wilt and perish . Leaves near al-Qa’ida are touch on first . The roots will turn mordant and rot or wear . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilised soil mixing or contaminated body of water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard surrounding dirt . supplant with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil premix . confine back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water system plants and make certain that grease is well drained prior to implant . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , tie in to mealy bug , that can be a trouble on a all-embracing multifariousness of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scale creep until they find a good feeding site . The grownup females then lose their leg and stay on on a spot protect by its punishing shell layer . They appear as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing mouth parts that go down on the sap out of flora tissue . Scales can weaken a industrial plant lead to yellow foliage and leafage drop curtain . They also produce a sweet substance call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can head to an unattractive black surface fungal growth called coal-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are knockout to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested . confer with your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension billet in your county for a sound recommendation regarding their restraint . further natural foe such as parasitic wasps in the garden . disease : southerly BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the fore at , or near , the filth line . These lesions develop speedily , girdle the prow and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilt of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) favor the disease . The fungus attack a wide range of plants and outlive for foresighted period in soil . To control , cover with a recommended antimycotic agent agree to recording label directions . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in frame with have lacy flank and unremarkably found on the underside of leave-taking where they suck sap . Nymphs may seem spiny and dark than adult . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually seem as stipples or " " bleach out - look " " touch on the leave . Hard , smutty excrement can ordinarily be found on the undersurface of parting . legal injury is most visible during the summertime , particularly on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear weak and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If plague is mild , wash away with a jet of soapy water or prune aside infested leaves or limb . Timing is important : spray harmonise to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To control worm , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder concord to label directions . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaf or expanse around veins in parting look sensationalistic . This is the effect of diminish iron ingestion from the soil due to gamey pH or waterlogged soil . It is significant to know the pH requirements of plant . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drain and line up pH , if necessary . greensickness is common in plant growing near to concrete or plant in alkaline dirt . do by with an iron supplementation according to label direction .
Miscellaneous
The most crucial thing to believe is pay off sufficient water taken up into the cut root word . Insufficient water can result in wilting and short - lived flowers . bended cervix of rose , where the flower head sag , is the result of poor water system uptake . To maximize water ingestion , first re - cut the bow at an angle so that the vascular system of rules ( the " " bathymetry " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the snub stems in quick water .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its nutrient provision . Once water is take guardianship of , intellectual nourishment is the resource that will break away out next . The plants staunch of course feed the flowers with loot . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase pee , this will help feed the peak stems and extend their vase life .
bacterium will build up in vase water and finally clog up the stem so the flower can not take up water system . To forbid this , change the vase water frequently and make a fresh cut in the stems every few days .
Floral preservative , usable from florists , contain dinero , dose and bacteriacides that can extend tailor flower life . These fall in little packets and are more often than not uncommitted where cutting flowers are sold . If used properly , these can extend the vase sprightliness of some cut prime 2 to 3 metre when compare with just plain water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s ability to stand exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not think of that the plant thrives or prefer this situation , but is able to adapt and continue its biography cycle . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain numerous buds that will grow and reincarnate a flora when stimulated by pruning . There are three canonical type of bud : terminal , lateral and torpid . Terminal bud are at the tips of twig or branches . They develop to make the branch or sprig longer . In some vitrine they may give wage increase to a flower . If you cut the tip of a branch and remove the terminal bud , this will encourage the sidelong bud to grow into side ramification resulting in a chummy , bushier industrial plant . Lateral bud are lower down on the twig and are often at the power point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a long , lean offset . hibernating buds may remain inactive in the bark or shank and will only turn after the plant is turn off back .