An azalea is a beautiful flowering shrub that provides a burst of spectacular color to your outdoor space every time it blooms. One of the greatest benefits to adding azaleas to your landscape is they are fairly easy to maintain. Keep reading, as Promier Tree explains how to properly maintain azaleas.
Evergreen or deciduous?
First off, you should know that most azaleas used in landscaping are evergreen. You will see some leaves “falling” as the plants expand with new growth.
Maintenance of any tree or shrub entails the following factors:
- Sunlight: Azaleas usually prefer the morning sun, with four hours of direct sunlight. They like their “feet” relatively dry, and their soil to be acidic. If planted in direct sun, or landscape changes have reduced the azalea’s shade, expect the plant to show signs of stress and increased insects.
- Mulch: Azaleas benefit from natural mulches such as pine needles and shredded leaves. Mulch mounding should be done to a height of 3-4 inches height, and placed 1-2 inches from the plant base. This will help the soil stay moist during the hot summers, and provide extra nutrients as the mulch decomposes.
- Water: If the soil is dry, water the soil around the azalea plant two or three times per week. Make sure to water the ground, and not from the top of the plant to help prevent leaf fungus, or leaf gall. Early morning is the best time to water your outdoor azaleas, and remember to only water in the spring, summer and fall.
- Signs of stress: During the hot months of summer, too much sun on your azalea may cause withering leaves, and a decrease in the amount of healthy green coloring. Seeing brown tips on the leaves? Check your leaves for additional signs, as well as your soil and the roots. If the ground is too dry, leaves will also be limp and wilted. If the ground dirt is overly saturated in addition to brown leaves, the roots will begin to rot.
- Flowering: Depending on the type of azalea, blooms may appear from March through September, but each plant will have a two-week flowering period. Some species can actually bloom in spring and fall in hotter climates. Flowers may be white, pink, red, purple, yellow or orange depending on the type. If petals turn brown within days of opening, petal blight could be the culprit. A fungicide can be applied as buds show color to protect remaining blooms.
- Pruning: If your azalea bush needs to be trimmed, early spring before new growth is the best time. There will be less blooms, but the plant will have time to grow and prepare for the following year. If blooms have already appeared, cut for arrangements, and trim the plant prior to new buds sprouting. Azaleas produce buds for the following year’s flowers soon after the current year’s flowering season. If you must trim in the late summer or fall, there is a higher risk of new growth being killed during cold weather. Also do not cut your azaleas shorter than 12 inches tall, the plant can become weak and die, or even take years to bloom again.
ISA-Certified arborists in Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol, Tennessee
If you have questions about tree and shrub fertilization or you would like to schedule professional fertilization services, please contact our ISA-certified arborists at Promier Tree. Call us today at (423) 765-2626 or contact us online to submit a question or request an appointment for an evaluation.