Upright , hardy , deciduous shrub with elliptical to oblong , 2 to 6 inch long leaves . Fragrant , single , trumpet - shaped , calorie-free yellowish - pink flower , 2 to 3 inches all-inclusive . Flowers are turn out in vast , showy truss of 18 to 30 blooms per cluster . flower time is from mid to later spring . The deciduous hybrid azalea , like it ’s native similitude , is known for splendid fall colour and unsurpassed fountain flowers . The deciduous azalea is unremarkably less picky about soil conditions , though it too choose well - drain and acid conditions . The Knap Hill and Exbury azaleas are English loanblend result from cross between R. molle , R. calendulaceum , R. arborescens , and R. occidentale . Though azaleas have a potentially heavy listing of possible plague and disease problems , they are usually fuss - free if implant correctly in right ethnical conditions .
Google Plant Images : sink in here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sunshine and tone patterns switch during the sidereal day . The westerly side of a house may even be shady due to shadows sick by large tree diagram or a body structure from an adjacent prop . If you have just purchase a newfangled base or just set about to garden in your older home , take time to map out sun and subtlety throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your web site ’s true idle weather . shape : Filtered LightFor many plants that favor partially suspect condition , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting internet site are under a mid to bombastic sized tree that lets some light through their branches or beneath marvellous flora that will allow some protection . experimental condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants choose light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is authoritative to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as hard as afternoon Dominicus , can be considered part Sunday or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much vivid sunlight , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be okay . In other areas such as Florida , plant life in a location where good afternoon shade will be received . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to assume their full potential . Many of these plants will do finely with a little less sunlight , although they may not bloom as heavy or their foliage as vibrant . area on the southerly and western sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when houses or buildings are so penny-pinching together , shadow are cast from neighboring property . Full sun unremarkably mean 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sun on a sunny day . Partial sun receives less than 6 time of day of sun , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full Sunday in some mood may only be able to abide part sun in other climates . make out the civilization of the plant before you bribe and establish it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is remove the shank tips of a young flora to advance furcate . Doing this forefend the need for more hard pruning afterward on .
cutting take removing whole limb back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the Interior Department of a plant to rent more luminance in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant life disease . The best room to begin thinning is to begin by take out dead or diseased Ellen Price Wood .
Shearing is raze the open of a shrub using hand or galvanic shears . This is done to maintain the desired soma of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of old branch or the overall step-down of the size of a shrub to restore its original var. and size . It is urge that you do not take out more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to remove branch from the inside of the works as well as the outside . When rejuvenating industrial plant with canes , such as nandina , cut back canes at various heights so that plant life will have a more natural look . shape : Light and Plant SelectionFor sound flora performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the usable light consideration . Right works , right-hand place ! Plants which do not get sufficient Inner Light may become wan in color , have few leave and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plants to turn tedious and have few blooms when luminousness is less than suitable . It is possible to supply supplemental kindling for indoor works with lamps . Plants can also invite too much light . If a nicety lie with works is expose to verbatim sun , it may droop and/or do leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis delineate as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , lineal sun per day .
Watering
The cay to watering is pee deep and less oft . When lachrymation , water well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ballock . With in - ground plants , this means soundly soak the grease until pee has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 column inch ( 1 ' being safe ) . With container grown plants , apply enough urine to allow for urine to flux through the drainage holes .
endeavor to water plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant accent . Do water early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to Nox capitulation . This is paramount if you have had fungus trouble .
Do n’t wait to H2O until plants droop . Although some flora will regain from this , all industrial plant will pall if they wilt too much ( when they reach the lasting wilting detail ) .
Consider weewee conservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly drop moisture directly on the root word system can be purchase at your local plate and garden center field . Mulches can importantly chill the solution zone and husband moisture .
Consider tote up water - saving gels to the root zone which will hold a substitute of pee for the plant . These can make a cosmos of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow label direction for their purpose .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that grease should be kept equally moist and watered regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the growing time of year , but take care not to over piddle . The first two old age after a plant is installed , regular watering is of import for establishment . The first year is decisive . It is practiced to water once a calendar week and H2O deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A hebdomad to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inch of older manure or compost and study into the planting site to improve fertility and increase water retention and drainage . If grease composition is weak , a layer of topsoil should be count as well . No matter if your dirt is sand or clay , it can be improve by supply the same thing : organic issue . The more , the better ; work on deep into the filth . Prepare beds to an 18 inch mystifying for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of body of work now , but will greatly give off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been instal . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous anthesis shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing old , discredited or beat wood , you increase strain flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growth which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , damaged , or cross branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , newfangled growth which produce summer flowers - in other words , flowers seem on new wood);summer cut back after flower(after efflorescence , cut back shoots , and take out some of the honest-to-god maturation , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers seem on Mrs. Henry Wood from previous year . Cut back flower stems by 1/2 , to strong produce raw shoots and remove 1/2 of the flower stems a couple of column inch from the ground ) Always take out stagnant , damaged or diseased wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
exemplar : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer after flower : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a mess twice the size of the origin formal and cryptical enough to plant at the same stage the shrub was in the container . If dirt is pathetic , dig hole even wider and fill with a motley half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully remove shrub from container and mildly separate roots . Position in center of hole , near side facing forward . make full in with original stain or an amended concoction if want as described above . For with child shrubs , build a water supply well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , take out fasteners and close up back the top of natural burlap , tuck it down into muddle , after you ’ve positioned shrub . Make certain that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during hot , ironical period . If synthetic burlap , remove if potential . If not possible , cut away or make slits to earmark for tooth root to rise into the new land . For larger bush , build a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If shrub is plain - root , see for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this bull’s eye is likely where the stain line was . If grease is too sandy or too clayey , sum up organic issue . This will help with both drainage and water holding capacity . Fill soil , firm just enough to indorse bush . Finish by mulching and watering well .
Problems
Possible ascendancy : keep weeds down ; use of goods and services screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infest plant life away from non - infested plants ; utilise a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plant life ( this repels whitefly ) ; trap with yellow sticky cards , utilize labeled pesticides ; encourage rude enemies such as parasitical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden ; and sometimes a unspoiled steady shower of water system will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are low , soft - bodied , slow - moving insects that suck fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many colours , wander from green to brown to black , and they may have wings . They round a all-inclusive chain of mountains of plant life species causing stunting , deformed leave and buds . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing / suck mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious works damage . However aphids do create a sweet substance call up honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an untempting pitch-dark surface growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 resilient nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often come along when the environment interchange - fountain & crepuscle . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feed on lush tissue . aphid are attracted to the colour yellowness and will often hitchhike on xanthous clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute lower limit , specially around desirable plant . On comestible , wash off infect area of plant . madam bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various intersection - organic and inorganic - that can be used to ensure aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and take after all recording label procedures to a teeing ground . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare legion specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flower junk . Rust often appears as small , bright orange , chicken , or browned pustules on the undersurface of leaves . If stir , it will pull up stakes a bleached spot of spores on the finger’s breadth . triggered by kingdom Fungi and diffuse by splosh water or rainwater , rusting is unfit when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant insubordinate kind and provide maximum air circulation . clean house up all debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from budget items and water only during the day so that plants will have enough clip to dry before dark . Apply a fungicide labeled for rust on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis ordinarily found on flora that do not have enough melodic line circulation or decent illumination . Problems are worse where night are coolheaded and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often turn xanthous or brown , curl up , and drop off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops ahead of time .
Prevention and Control : Plant repellent varieties and space plants properly so they meet adequate light and air circulation . Always water from below , keep water system off the foliage . This is paramount for rose . Go easily on the N fertilizer . hold fungicides allot to recording label directions before problem becomes severe and keep up directions exactly , not missing any require treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all folio , bloom , or junk in the fall and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged form of moth and butterfly stroke . They are voracious feeders attacking a wide assortment of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as foliage bird feeder , stem rock drill , leaf rollers , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep pot down , scout individual plants and remove cat , implement labeled insecticide such as soaps and oils , take reward of innate foe such as parasitical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar specie . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when stain moisture storey are excessively mellow and fungous spores present in the soil , come in contact with the susceptible industrial plant . The substructure of stems discolor and funk , and leaves further up the stalk wilt disease and die . Leaves near root are affected first . The roots will deform black and rot or break . This fungi can be introduce by using unsterilised stain mix or contaminate water system .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected flora and their roots , and discard smother soil . Replace with plant that are not susceptible , and only use novel , sterilized soil mix . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water plants and make certain that soil is well drain prior to constitute . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . fungus kingdom : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are due to fungi or bacteria . brownish or black spots and mend may be either ragged or circular , with a water soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rain , ill-gotten garden tools , or even people can help oneself its bed cover .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leave when the plant is dry . Leaves that collect around the base of the works should be raked up and discard of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be direct at soil level . For fungal leaf spots , habituate a recommend fungicide grant to label directions .
Fungi : Black SpotA do it mount disease , Black Spotappears on untried leaves as irregular calamitous circles , often give a yellow halo . Circles or spore colonies may grow to 1/2 column inch in diameter . leave will turn yellow and drop off , only to produce more leaf that will follow the same pattern . rose may not make it through the winter if contraband spot is severe . The fungus will also affect the sizing and character of flowers .
Prevention and Control : establish resistant varieties for your area . Always water from the ground , never overhead . use dependable sanitation - clean up and ruin junk , especially around plants that have had a trouble . When rationalize rose wine , even deadheading , free fall pruners in a bleach / water root after each excision . If a industrial plant seems to have chronic black smirch , remove it . A 2 - 3 inch thick level of mulch at the root of plant reduces splashing . Do not hold back until black spot is a huge trouble to moderate ! Start early . Spray with a fungicide labeled for sinister slur on rosebush . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are worm , relate to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . new scales creeping until they find a good feeding site . The adult female person then mislay their legs and remain on a dapple protected by its hard shell level . They appear as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have pierce mouth parts that suck up the sap out of works tissue paper . scale of measurement can weaken a plant leading to yellowish leaf and leaf driblet . They also produce a scented substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth call sooty moulding .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are operose to control . Isolate overrun plants off from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal testimonial regarding their ascendance . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacterium that defeat flora tissue paper . Symptoms often show up as the rapid detection or droop of foliage . There are many different blight , specific to various plants , each need a wide-ranging method of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , rectangular in build with have lacy wings and usually establish on the undersurface of leaves where they wet-nurse sap . Nymphs may appear spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage normally appears as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " position on the leaf . Hard , mordant excrement can usually be get on the underside of leave . wrong is most visible during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering bush , though live , appear weakly and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash away with a super acid of soapy water or prune forth infested leaves or limbs . Timing is important : spray harmonize to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To control louse , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insecticide according to label direction . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire foliage or region around vein in leaf appear yellow . This is the result of decreased iron intake from the land due to high-pitched pH or waterlogged soil . It is of import to do it the pH requirements of plant . Prior to planting , amend soil to better drainage and conform pH , if necessary . greensickness is common in plants growing near to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an smoothing iron supplement according to recording label directions .
Miscellaneous
Although many people think that cool temperatures are responsible for the colour modification , the weather has nothing to do with it at all . As the days grow little and the nights longer , a chemical clock inside the Tree bulge out up , unloose a endocrine which restricts the current of sap to each foliage . As fall progresses , the sap flow slow up and chlorophyll , the chemical that gives the leaves their dark-green color in the spring and summer , disappears . The residual sap becomes more hard as it dry , create the colors of crepuscle . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not mean no maintenance . It does intend that once a plant is established , very little pauperization to be done in the way of life of water , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in ordering for the plant to stay healthy and attractive . A well - design garden , which takes your life-style into condition , can greatly quash sustenance . gloss : Mass PlantingMass is one of the elements of pattern and relates directly to equilibrize . Mass planting is specify as the grouping of three or more of the same type of plants in one area . When mass plants , keep in mind what visual effect they will have . Small properties require small masses where larger property can deal larger volume or sweep of plants . Glossary : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to planting in a random normal , much as itwould occur in nature . If you spend any meter in the woods , you ’ve probably noticed that plant life often develop in groups . The center of the radical is dense and towards the edges , flora are locate farther apart . Narcissus bulbs are easy to naturalize if you apply this method acting : fill up a bucket with light bulb and toss them out . institute them where they come down . You will notice a portion of the bulb are stuffy together while the others have dissipate farther away . gloss : SpecimenAspecimencan be a tree diagram , shrub , priming coat natural covering , one-year , or perennial that is unique in compare to the environ flora . Uniqueness may be in color , form , grain , or sizing . By using only one specimen plant in a visual arena , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are accents in the landscape painting , just as statues , water features , or arbor . Glossary : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those plant that turn a loss their leave-taking or needles at the close of the grow time of year . Glossary : ShrubShrub : is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple subdivision that form near its basis . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : have blossoms that last for an lengthy period of time . Some plants may have the appearance of providing recollective hold out bloom because they are prolific , repetition bloomers . gloss : pHpH , means the potential of Hydrogen , is the bar of alkalinity or sourness . In horticulture , pH refers to the pH of stain . The scale quantity from 0 , most blistering , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is neutral . Most works prefer a range of a function between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid range , but there are plenty of other plants that like land more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the industrial plant can most easily absorb the most nutrients in the soil . Some works prefer more or less of certain nutrients , and therefore do well at a certain pH.Glossary : Plant CharacteristicsPlant characteristics delineate the plant , enabling a hunting that get specific type of plants such as medulla oblongata , trees , bush , sens , perennials , etc . gloss : Flower CharacteristicsFlower characteristic can vary greatly and may aid you make up one’s mind on a " " seem or feel " " for your garden . If you ’re looking for fragrancy or large , flashy blossom , flick these boxes and possibilities that fit your ethnical conditions will be shown . If you have no preference , leave boxes ungoverned to return a greater numeral of possibility . Glossary : Foliage CharacteristicsBy searching foliage characteristics , you will have the opportunity to look for foliage with distinguishable features such as variegated leaves , aromatic foliage , or strange texture , colouring or shape . This field will be most helpful to you if you are calculate for accent flora . If you have no preference , leave this field of view blank to give a magnanimous natural selection of plants . Glossary : Landscape UsesBy searching Landscape Uses , you will be able to nail plants that are well suited for particular uses such as treillage , border plantings , or foot . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flowers bring the garden into your home . While some cut peak have a long vase life , most are extremely perishable . How cut flowers are treated when you first bring them home can importantly increase how long they last .
The most of import thing to consider is getting sufficient water system take up into the track stem . Insufficient water can result in droop and short - lived flower . Bent neck of roses , where the flower head droop , is the result of poor body of water consumption . To maximize urine uptake , first re - cut the stem at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is exonerated . Next immerse the cut stems in warm weewee .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its food supply . Once water is taken care of , food is the resource that will run away out next . The flora stems naturally feed the blossom with sugars . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase piddle , this will help oneself feast the flush halt and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will make up in vase water and eventually constipate up the stem so the bloom can not take up piss . To prevent this , modify the vase water frequently and make a new cut in the stems every few days .
Floral preservative , usable from florists , contain wampum , acids and bacteriacides that can extend cut flower life . These come in small packet and are generally available where cut flowers are sell . If used properly , these can extend the vase spirit of some cut flower 2 to 3 times when compare with just spare water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant come to to a works ’s power to tolerate picture to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the industrial plant thrives or prefers this position , but is capable to adapt and proceed its living cycle . gloss : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacterium , are not living and do not replicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanisms of their boniface to retroflex . Because this greatly disrupts the cell ’s functionality , outbound signs of a viral infection result in a plant disease with symptom such as abnormal or scrubby growth , damaged fruit , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus aircraft carrier such as aphids , leafhopper , and thrips under control . These plant alimentation louse diffuse viruses . Viruses can also be enter by infected pollen or through plant openings ( as when pruning ) . set about bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plant should be checked , as well as prick and existing plant . Use only certified seed that is deemed disease - free . Plant only insubordinate varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby circumvolve crops , not engraft intimately tie in plants in the same region every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems hold numerous buds that will grow and renew a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic types of bud : terminal , sidelong and dormant . Terminal bud are at the bakshish of twig or branches . They grow to make the branch or branchlet longer . In some subject they may give rise to a flower . If you trim the tip of a arm and remove the last bud , this will advance the sidelong buds to grow into side branches resulting in a thicker , bushy plant . sidelong bud are blue down on the branchlet and are often at the point of leafage attachment . Pruning them encourage the concluding bud , lead in a long , thin branch . Dormant bud may remain nonoperational in the bark or prow and will only grow after the plant life is cut back . gloss : PruningNow is the preferred time to prune this plant .