Nancy
Azaleas can be planted at any time of the year, even if they are in bloom
but it is best to plant them in the early fall so they have a chance to
adjust to their new home before winter freezes.
When you are shopping for an azalea, there are many factors to consider. Whether
it is sold in a pot with it's rootball wrapped in burlap is of little consequence,
nor is the size of the plant. Many nurseries provide tags on their plants
which will tell you the name and blooming period, as well as the eventual
size of the plant and how cold hardy it is. Some have fragrant flowers
(mainly Exbury azaleas). Azaleas can be low growing, and never reach a
height of more than two feet, but others can grow as tall twelve feet.
You can use these facts to your advantage and purchase plants that will
give you an extended blooming season by choosing a few of the very earliest
blooming and a few late flowering varieties. Plantings can also be staggered
by size. It is best to buy plants which have been grown out of doors locally,
which pretty much insures that the plant is hardy in your area.
Azaleas must be grown in an acid soil, with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5. They will
not tolerate lime. Many nurseries will test your soil pH for free,, and
give you recomendations. Try to plant azaleas in an area which receives
a few hours of morning sun, but receives at least partial shade during
the very hottest part of the day. Dig your planting hole twice as wide
and 1 1/2 times as deep as the rootball. Mix compost and
peat moss into the soil, and if is necessary for drainage, add in course
builders sand or grit. When you remove the plant from the pot, use your
fingers to loosen up the roots a little to get them to grow into the new
soil. Set the plant so that the soil level is the same as it was previously
growing at. Sprinkle a small amount of rhododendron food into the hole
at the dripline of the plant. Fill in the hole and water it very thoroughly.
Azaleas resent drying out, so use some kind of mulch to conserve moisture
in the soil. You can use leaves, bark, compost or whatever.
The buds for next years blooms will be formed this year, so it important that
the faded blooms are removed, otherwise you will not get a flower on that
stem next year. Rhododendron food should be applied after the plant has
finished blooming. Pruning consists mainly of removing the spent flowers,
and cutting back longer branches which may spoil the symmetry of the plant.
Year round bloom
To have flowers in bloom all year long will take planning on your part, using
a combination of shrubs, bulbs, annuals and perennials. Annuals Put out
a large number of beautiful flowers all summer, but they complete their
life cycle from seed to flower to seed again, all within one year. (zinnias,
marigolds, petunias......) Perennials are plants which have a more limited
blooming period, but they live and bloom year after year. (carnations,
columbine, chrysanthemums....) Here again nursery tags can be very helpful.
You can find plants which will flower during any month of the year, and
combine them to create a year round flower show.
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