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How to Grow Azaleas

Pink Azalea Flowers

One of many of the azalea bushes in my backyard now blooming.

Image Credit:
Suzanne O'Rourke
Written By: George and Becky Lohmiller

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.

Azalea bush

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’.

Azalea flowers

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.

Shrubs and Trees

About The Author

George and Becky Lohmiller

George and Becky Lohmiller

George and Becky Lohmiller shared their gardening knowledge and enthusiasm with Almanac readers for more than 15 years, writing Farmer’s Calendar essays and gardening articles in previous editions of ...

Read more from George and Becky Lohmiller

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Comments

<span>Faith Krouse</span> Thu, 09/17/2015 - 16:22
4 azaleas and one hydrangea were planted as a Mother's Day gift in May. My question is how much growth should be on them in 3 months also I put dead pine needles around them, should I have used green needles. They are from a nursery. Thank you
<span>Namgay</span> Mon, 06/15/2015 - 03:23
Can we plant the trim branches of azelea but how and when we have to do that
<span>Taustin</span> Thu, 06/11/2015 - 15:46
Hey we just planted 3 azaleas in the front yard. It gets full sun. They did really good at first. We planted them the 1st of April and it is now June. They look like they are starting to die. The leafs are brown and some place it is just the branch. There are still some places that have green leafs. Im not sure if there is anything I can do to help bring them back?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/12/2015 - 12:35

Azaleas prefer filtered sunlight. Ideally, they get dappled sun in the summer with little or no early morning sun in the winter.  They need sun but not intense, afternoon sun. Perhaps the most important factor is soil preparation. Did you do a soil test before planting? Soil needs have a pH of 4.5 to 6.0--and be moist, well-drained, and well-aerated. Many people find that they need to add amendments that make the soil more acidic. Soil tests are often available for free or a small charge from your local cooperative extension services. The test will tell you what you need to adjust. Fifty percent of the planting medium should be organic material. Finally, azaleas prefer to be set in a place protected from wind. They thrive on the north side of a building or the east side.

 <span>Rosanne Hall</span> Tue, 05/26/2015 - 16:52
My mother has 2 azalea bushes she says the flower buds never open but turn into this hard white knot (she says it looks like cottage cheese). She has been fertilizing them. I can't seem to find anything that resembles this problem. Do you have any idea what she is dealing with?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 05/27/2015 - 12:47

Hi, Rosanne: It sounds like your mother has some sort of fungal infection, perhaps gall. Well, not your mother, of course, but her azaleas. Hand-remove every affected parts (and soil) and dispose of carefully, then get back to basics. Stop the fertilizing, and make sure there is adequate light, water, and air circulation. Simultaneously, consult with your local nursery or extension service about a good organic fungicide to use. Good luck!

 <span>Girlygrl241</span> Tue, 05/12/2015 - 12:39
i planted 5 azaleas around a maple tree in my front yard. it is a south facing bed that gets 3 hours of morning sun and 2 very late afternoon sun the hottest part of the day it is completely shaded. i live in zone 7b in Alabama we have heavy clay soil so i amended with cow and mushroom compost manure. i planted gumpo, George tabor, and azalea snow. the gumpos are doing well but the george tabor are getting brown spots on the leaves. Are they getting too much sun? i have a neighbor who has tons of azaleas that are in sun for most of the day and doing well. what am i doing wrong?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/15/2015 - 15:35

You may have something called leaf spot that is caused by a fungal infection. If your azalea is healthy it should withstand the infection. You can cut out the most infected leaves and throw them in the trash (do not compost). Also water the azaleas from the soil level, don't use a sprinkler.

 <span>Marlac</span> Wed, 05/06/2015 - 17:51
How do I know if my azaleas survived the winter? What should I look for in terms of new growth? Will it grow leaves from the wood or from the base?
<span>Donald T. Spencer</span> Wed, 04/22/2015 - 14:53

Last late spring I planted 2 small deciduous azaleas at my cottage in Zone 4. It is now the following year/late April, the snow has melted and I see that the leaves are brown/look dead. Do I remove the leaves? Prune? Or just leave them to their own devices and hope that the new leaves will replace the old? Is it possible they have died due to the cold temperatures despite being approved for my zone? Also, the soil in the region is very acidic due to the number of evergreens in the area. Should I still fertilize or simply add additional pine needles as mulch to lower the PH? Thanks, D