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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>Jerry Mcd</span> Fri, 08/01/2014 - 20:41
Ok ive read alot of good stuff here..my flowers came in spring now the leaves are losing the greenish color looking like they have dried up..its filtered sun on east side..I used some miracle grow...so did I kill it???
<span>Rebecca Sampson</span> Wed, 07/23/2014 - 20:07
My small, store bought, pink Azalea is looking like it is dying; the leaves are falling off as are the blooms, which I have removed. I live in Victoria, BC, and our balcony faces east. Do you have any suggestions? I do not think I am over watering it, and I have tried fertilizing it with a single packet fertilizer. I have it indoors now, and would like to know what I should do before it is too late for it. Thank you for your time.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 07/25/2014 - 08:05

Azaleas like it slightly humid and cool. This can be a challenging combination in some areas.

Never let the soil dry out or it's hard to rehydrate. To bring up the humidity, you can place the plant in a dish of water and soak it for a few hours once a week.

Keep it cool (60 to 70 degrees room temperature) especially at night. It needs to be in a cool, indirect sunny area. Neve let it dry out. Keep away from drafts or heating vents.

Only fertilize lightly every month with a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus.

 <span>Virginia. Marr</span> Thu, 06/19/2014 - 08:57
The leaves on my azaleas have a light green look. What do I use for black spot..?
<span>Richard Pitts</span> Tue, 06/17/2014 - 14:26
HAVE TWO DOZ. ENCORE AZALEAS PLANTED IN A RAISED BED, PART SHADE. PLANTS DID WELL THE FIRST YEAR OR TWO, BUT NOW THEY DON,T SEEM BLOOM CORRECTLY, BUSHES ARE SPINEY, FEW LEAVES, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 06/19/2014 - 09:37

Hi, Richard,

The first thing we would suggest is that you check your soil pH. Azaleas like soil on the acidic side. And mulch, mulch, mulch. See guidance above the QAs on this page.

Hope this helps!

 <span>Susan Ward</span> Fri, 05/16/2014 - 00:31
I have five azaelas that are supposed to bloom spring through fall. I planted them in a circle two feet from the base of a small tree. They only get some to none dappled light throughout the day. They look good but they are no longer blooming. I fed them with fertilizer for blooms and added Epsom salts. No blooms! They have only been planted three weeks. Will the blooms come back or do I need to move them so they can get more sun? They are on the east side of my house, but there are many tall oak trees that bring mostly shade to the area.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 06/19/2014 - 09:46

Hi, Susan,

Spring-to-fall bloom seldom means continuous bloom, at least regarding azaleas; it means repeat bloom. After blooming in spring, the plants rest, produce new buds, and put on another show.

 <span>Jamey</span> Mon, 05/12/2014 - 22:03
Hello, i planted my little girard's rose azalea about 3 feet away from my home foundation and its facing east/south but the south way has a HUGE tree from the next door yard. im in zone 5 and i think i have clay ish type soil. i did not do anything to the soil before planting but add some organic compost, and a half tea spon of special fertilzer for azaleas and rohdies, but put it where the roots dont touch it. well its bee about 2 weeks and all the pretty pink flowers are all on the ground and have fallen off the plant. At this point the leaves seem to still look green and healthy. i did not add mulch around it because with the huge tree next door i was worried it might be in too much shade and the ground too wet...any thoughts or ideas would be great!! can i upload pictures here?? Wasnt sure how that works thanks
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 05/13/2014 - 12:49

The Girard's Rose azalea usually blooms April/May. The dropping of flowers is normal. Azaleas like acidic well-draining soil. Add used coffee grounds to the soil around the bush to make the soil more acidic and we suggest that you add some mulch before the weather gets hot.