Known as “The Royalty of the Garden,” azaleas have long been adored for their brightly colored flowers and outstanding form and foliage. Here are a few tips for growing azaleas in your garden!
How to Grow Azaleas
The best time to plant azaleas is in late spring or early fall. Evergreen azaleas do well in partial shade with some wind protection. Deciduous varieties flower more profusely in full sun.
- Provide well-drained, humus-rich soil that is slightly acidic (pH 4.5–6).
- Mulch well. Shallow-rooted, azaleas tend to dry out quickly if not mulched. A mulch of oak leaf mold, pine needles, or aged oak, pine, or hemlock sawdust will keep soil acidic and moist. Read more in our Mulching Guide.
- Fertilizer isn’t needed. The decaying mulch will provide all of the nutrients that azaleas need.
- Seldom bothered by insects and diseases, azaleas require little care once established, except for watering during dry times.
Varieties to Fit Your Landscape
With thousands of varieties, there are azaleas for just about every landscape situation:
- Deciduous varieties are considered the hardiest, many growing as far north as Zone 4. Some, such as the bright-pink roseshell azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum), are even hardy in Zone 3. With few exceptions, most evergreen azaleas are only reliable in Zone 6.
- Low-growing ground cover azaleas such as ‘Joseph Hill’, a bright-red-flowering evergreen that grows only to about a foot.
- Tall varieties include the white-blooming sweet azalea (R. arborescens), a deciduous plant that can reach 20 feet tall.
- Weeping azaleas, such as ‘Pink Cascade’.
Late-Blooming Varieties
While most azaleas flower in spring, there are varieties that extend the season:
- ‘Flame Creeper’, an orange-flowering ground cover azalea, and ‘Weston’s Lemon Drop’, with peachy-color buds that open to a soft yellow, both flower in late June or July.
- The pink-flowering ‘Sweet September’ is an exceptionally late bloomer.
“The Royalty of the Garden” seems to be a fitting name for this beautiful and majestic plant, but we’ve got a hunch that once your garden is filled with the colors and fragrance of beautiful blooming azaleas, you’ll probably think that it’s you who’s getting the royal treatment.
See our Rhododendron and Azalea Plant Guide for more information on how to plant and care for these gorgeous shrubs.
Reader Comments
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Hi i mite be months late but
Hi i mite be months late but i had the same situation... after a major earthquake hit our place my aunt moved out of her place and left her azalea, wen i took it in it was just a dry stem with not a single.leaf..i am not a professional nor do i have much experien e in gardening, my mom used to do it after she pased i am tryng to learn... anyways back to the topic i replanted it...and now.it bears white flowers... :))) i am sure by now yours must have revived and in full bloom... enjoy :)))
I bought two azalias at a
I bought two azalias at a grocery store. The blooms are gone and I was wondering when it is OK to transplant them outside in the Seattle area? How deep do their roots go? and How much sun is too much sun?
If it was a florist azalea,
If it was a florist azalea, first make sure that it is hardy in your area before planting outside. You can check the Azalea Society of America web site for more information:
http://www.azaleas.org/newsite...
I have two small Azalea
I have two small Azalea bushes that flowered the first year(two years ago). Each year since the blooms and flowers have decreased. what can I do to bring them back? I am not a professional gardener just someone who likes a nice looking yard.
One issue you may have is
One issue you may have is poor soil. Azaleas thrive in acidic soil that is ideally pH 4.5–5.5. Azaleas also do not tolerate deep planting, so make sure they are shallow planted. They require lots of moisture, so remember to water your plants regularly. You can also try deadheading (removing the dead flowers from the plant), but be careful not to damage or remove young growth.
I hope this helps!
When is the best time to trim
When is the best time to trim Azaleas. They have gotten way too large. What is the best way to trim them back? How hard can I cut them Back?
Thanks Very much
The best time to prune
The best time to prune azaleas is in the spring after flowering. The best way to trim azaleas is deadheading, which is cutting off dead flowers and branches and other damaged or diseased branches. You can also just cut off a few twigs from your plant. Usually azaleas need little pruning and they are only pruned to retain their shape, so I wouldn't cut them back too much. You don't want to damage too many flowers or young growths because then your plants will die.
Good luck!
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