Primary Image
Caption
One of many of the azalea bushes in my backyard now blooming.
Image Credit:
Suzanne O'Rourke
Body
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.
I have three azaleas, two are fine but one is in an area that is getting closer to full sun than I intended, I live in zone 6 am I going to fry my lil guy?
Azaleas grow best in dappled sun in the summer with little or no early morning sun in the winter. They like filtered sunlight. However, some varieties, particularly deciduous azaleas, can handle more sun if they are given enough water. You will probably find that an azalea grown in full sun will have shorter stems, and may have more blooms which will not last as long, and which may fade in a few days. If the leaves show signs of being burned by the sun (round brown spots on the leaf tips and edges) or the blooms fade quickly, you may need to move the plant to a little more shade.
I planted four azaelas in a mostly full sun area of my yard. They bloomed last year and I didn't cover them over the winter. We also had a lot of rain and they were sitting in some puddles before it got nice outside. I tried to fertilize them this spring but there is no new growth and the leaves are all red and falling off. Do you think that they are still alive or should I just dig them out?
I have several azaleas and they seem to like where they are planted and bloom profusely...then all the flowers die off at once. Is there a way other than picking off each flower by hand to remove the dead flowers?? I have resorted to paying my grandchildren a penny a flower for removal. The kids are quite young and get bored with this project easily....thanks for any advice.
Can I plant azaleas in a shaded are in Arizona, will they tolerate the summer heat and flower next spring?
Azaleas do require partial sun, so if you plant in an area that gets morning sun and afternoon shade, that would be best. Also, azaleas are acidic soil loving plants. You will need to amend the alkaline desert soil with composted cow manure and peat mixed with equal portions of your soil. And for best results, look for a variety that thrives in your zone: http://www.almanac.com/content/plant-hardiness-zones
I have a full sun huge back yard. I have azaleas planted and some moss. I wanted some ideas of plants that bloom at least all summer or longer and comes back with not a lot of effort. I really would like to have 2 butterfly trees I saw on tv but nobody around here seems to know what I am talking about but they have bushes but they look nothing like the trees. So if there is any ideas and if you know where to get the trees pleas tell me?
Ask your local garden centers about the "Butterfly Bush" or "Buddleia davidii" varieties for your area. It is a nice choice that blooms from summer through autumn. See more about how to plant, grow, and care for this plant: http://www.almanac.com/plant/butterfly-bush
I just bought and planted 12 azaleas and I. Believe they are planted rite, this is my first time. But the second noight they was in the ground we noticed that we had 3 night of 30degree wheather coming and this the night after a heavy rain. My husband and I covered them all with trash bags and when the morning sun rose I uncovered them. I noticed since some of the blooms was wet when covered that the was frozen but otherwise look good. Is covering them what I should be doing for the next 2 nights? And will the frozen pedals be ok or has that damaged the plant? And also if this is all done rite will they bloom all summer this year, there are lots of fresh greens and new blooms as of now? Please help
Covering your plants overnight to protect them from frost is a good practice. Using trash bags to protect the plants from freeze damage is OK, although it can trap moisture inside that might then freeze on the plant. With trash bags or other plastic, be sure to remove it, as you have done, in the morning before the sun warms the air, or it will get too hot inside the bag and will damage the plant. If you can, it is better to use fabric, such as blankets or sheets, or row covers or burlap (the last two are available at garden nurseries), all of which allow air to circulate but still help to protect the plant from cold.
The frozen petals indicate that those particular flowers are damaged; damaged flower buds may turn brown. If the other buds look OK, then those should bloom fine, and more buds may develop later. The plant itself should be OK; if you see dead, brown or black areas or splitting along some branches, you can prune the dead branches back to healthy wood, just after the plant has finished blooming.
Bloom time depends on the type of azalea you have, as well as your location and growing conditions. Some are early bloomers (such as in February and March), others bloom mid-season (such as April through June), and others are late-bloomers (such as in July through September). You might check with the place where you bought your azaleas to find out what type you have and its normal bloom period.
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- …
- 10
- Next »
📣The Gardening Club Just Got Better! 3 Deliveries, 10% Store Discount, and more!
Comments