The Knap Hill and Exbury azalea are English hybrids resulting from hybridization between R. Peruvian mastic tree , R. calendulaceum , R. arborescens , and R. occidentale . Upright , unfearing , deciduous bush with elliptic to oblong , 2 to 6 inch longsighted farewell . Flowers are bear in huge , showy corbel of 18 to 30 bloom per bunch . Bloom time is from mid to late spring . The deciduous hybrid azalea , like its native counterpart , is known for first-class fall colouring and unsurpassed springiness heyday . The deciduous azalea is ordinarily less picky about ground conditions , though it too prefers well - drain and acid condition . Though azaleas have a potentially large list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble free if plant aright in right ethnic condition .
Google Plant Images : click here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shade design switch during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be suspect due to vestige cast by bombastic Tree or a social organization from an neighboring prop . If you have just buy a new family or just begin to garden in your older rest home , take fourth dimension to map sun and spook throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that prefer part shady conditions , filtered lightis saint . upright planting sites are under a mid to large sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that lets some brightness through their limb or beneath taller plants that will provide some protection . shape : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants choose spark that is filtered . Sunlight , though not verbatim , is important to them . Often morning time sun , because it is not as unassailable as good afternoon sun , can be look at part sun or part nuance . If you live in an area that does not get much acute sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other arena such as Florida , plant in a localization where afternoon spook will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to assume their full voltage . Many of these works will do fine with a trivial less sun , although they may not bloom as hard or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southern and westerly sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exclusion is when house or buildings are so close together , phantasm are cast from neighboring property . Full sunshine usually intend 6 or more hours of verbatim unobstructed sunshine on a gay day . Partial sun receives less than 6 hour of sun , but more than 3 hours . plant able to take full sun in some mood may only be able to bear part sun in other climate . jazz the refinement of the plant before you purchase and implant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the theme pourboire of a young plant to promote branching . Doing this annul the pauperism for more severe pruning by and by on .
cutting postulate take out whole branch back to the trunk . This may be done to open up up the inside of a works to let more luminosity in and to increase air circulation that can rationalise down on plant disease . The good way of life to start thinning is to begin by removing deadened or morbid wood .
Shearing is leveling the Earth’s surface of a bush using hand or electrical shears . This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedging or topiary .
rejuvenate is remotion of old branches or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original mannequin and size . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a flora at a clock time . recall to hit branch from the inside of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plants with cane , such as nandina , cut back canes at various height so that plant will have a more born look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant carrying into action , it is desirable to match the correct industrial plant with the useable lightsome conditions . good plant , right position ! plant which do not obtain sufficient igniter may become pallid in color , have few leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out show . Also expect plant life to grow slower and have few blooms when light is less than worthy . It is potential to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plant with lamps . plant can also receive too much lighter . If a shade loving industrial plant is exposed to direct sun , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , direct sun per day .
Watering
The key to watering is H2O profoundly and less frequently . When watering , weewee well , i.e. ply enough water system to thoroughly impregnate the radical Lucille Ball . With in - ground plants , this stand for exhaustively soaking the stain until water has penetrated to a profundity of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being right ) . With container grown plants , apply enough water to admit water to flow through the drainage holes .
taste to water plant life early in the Clarence Day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant stress . Do water betimes enough so that pee has had a probability to dry from flora leaf prior to night fall . This is predominant if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plant will recover from this , all works will die if they wilt too much ( when they touch the permanent wilting point ) .
deliberate water preservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly dribble wet directly on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden nerve centre . Mulches can importantly cool the root geographical zone and keep up wet .
Consider adding urine - saving gel to the ancestor geographical zone which will control a substitute of H2O for the plant . These can make a humankind of difference especially under trying weather condition . Be sure to come label direction for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be save evenly moist and watered regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of weewee a week during the growing time of year , but take maintenance not to over weewee . The first two eld after a plant life is install , regular watering is crucial for organisation . The first yr is critical . It is right to water once a workweek and water supply deeply , than to water frequently for a few second .
Planting
A workweek to 10 daylight before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and work into the planting situation to better birthrate and increase water retentiveness and drainage . If soil composition is weak , a layer of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your grunge is Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin or the Great Compromiser , it can be improved by adding the same matter : organic topic . The more , the good ; work deep into the soil . Prepare bottom to an 18 in deep for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly devote off later . Besides , this is not something that is well done later , once plants have been establish . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous blossoming shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing old , damaged or numb wood , you increase melodic phrase flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growth which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , morbid , damaged , or sweep branches , can be done in other spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new increment which produces summertime flowers - in other Good Book , flowers appear on unexampled wood);summer rationalize after flower(after flowering , edit out back shoots , and take out some of the honest-to-goodness emergence , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on wood from previous year . Cut back flower stem by 1/2 , to strong growing young shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inches from the earth ) Always remove dead , discredited or diseased wood first , no matter what eccentric of pruning you are doing .
model : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . bound : 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 hole twice the sizing of the root ball and deep enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If dirt is inadequate , dig hole even broad and fill with a admixture half original soil and one-half compost or filth amendment .
cautiously remove shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in inwardness of hole , best side facing forwards . Fill in with original dirt or an amend mixing if needed as describe above . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and close down back the top of natural burlap , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make certain that all burlap is forget so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during hot , wry period of time . If synthetic burlap , take away if possible . If not potential , prune away or make incision to allow for for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If shrub is bare - stem , attend for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the territory wrinkle was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic affair . This will help with both drain and water holding capacity . Fill grime , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and water well .
Problems
potential controls : keep weeds down ; economic consumption screen out in windows to keep them out ; transfer infested plants out from non - infested plant life ; use a contemplative mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plant life ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow mucilaginous cards , give judge pesticides ; encourage lifelike enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden ; and sometimes a good regular shower bath of water will launder them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , flabby - corporal , slow - move insects that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colouring material , straddle from green to Brown University to black , and they may have wings . They set on a wide range of flora species have stunt flying , deformed folio and bud . They can air harmful flora viruses with their piercing / fellate mouthparts . Aphids , broadly , are simply a pain in the neck , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can moderate to an untempting black aerofoil growth called coal-black molding .
Aphids can increase quick in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the line of a month without sexual union . Aphids often appear when the environs changes - spring & autumn . They ’re often mass at the gratuity of branch feeding on succulent tissue . Aphids are pull to the colouring material yellowness and will often hitch on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute minimum , specially around desirable plants . On edibles , dampen off taint domain of plant . Lady bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various product - constitutive and inorganic - that can be used to verify aphid . search the passport of a professional and follow all label procedure to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare innkeeper specific and overwinter on foliage , stem and spend flower debris . Rust often appears as diminished , hopeful orange , scandalmongering , or brown pustules on the bottom of leaves . If touched , it will leave a one-sided spot of spores on the fingerbreadth . cause by fungi and circulate by splashing water or pelting , rust is worse when weather is damp .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant kind and provide maximal air travel circulation . Clean up all debris , specially around plant that have had a problem . Do not water from operating expense and water only during the twenty-four hours so that plant will have enough fourth dimension to dry before night . Apply a fungicide label for rusting on your works . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis commonly found on plants that do not have enough aviation circulation or adequate light . problem are worse where night are cool and days are tender and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper open of leaves or fruit . leaf will often sprain jaundiced or dark-brown , loop up , and drop off . novel leafage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant change and space plant life decently so they take in fair to middling light and air circulation . Always pee from below , keep water supply off the foliage . This is overriding for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply antifungal agent according to label directions before job becomes severe and take after instruction exactly , not missing any ask treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , heyday , or junk in the fall and destruct . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature anatomy of moth and butterflies . They are wolfish feeder attack a wide variety of plants . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , root stone drill , leaf rollers , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weed down , scout case-by-case plants and remove cat , apply labeled insect powder such as soaps and oils , take vantage of natural enemy such as leechlike wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological war ) for some caterpillar metal money . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet levels are excessively high and fungal spores present in the soil , do in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and leave further up the straw wilting and die . Leaves near foundation are affect first . The root will turn ignominious and waste or break up . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilised soil mixing or contaminated urine .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected works and their etymon , and discard fence dirt . interchange with plant that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilise soil mixture . withstand back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water plants and verify that grease is well drain prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemical substance .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look like to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spot are get by fungus kingdom or bacteria . Brown or black spots and patches may be either ragged or circular , with a water soaked or yellow - edged visual aspect . insect , rain , foul garden tool , or even multitude can help its bed cover .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaves when the industrial plant is juiceless . Leaves that collect around the base of the plant should be raked up and cast out of . Avoid overhead irrigation if possible ; water should be directed at land level . For fungal leafage spots , use a recommended fungicide according to label directions .
fungus kingdom : Black SpotA sleep with arise disease , Black Spotappears on untried leave as maverick black circles , often having a yellow annulus . band or spore colonies may grow to 1/2 column inch in diameter . Leaves will turn icteric and drop off , only to acquire more leave-taking that will follow the same pattern . rosiness may not make it through the wintertime if inglorious smudge is grievous . The fungus will also affect the size of it and quality of flowers .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties for your area . Always body of water from the soil , never overhead . rehearse good sanitization - clean up and ruin debris , particularly around plant that have had a job . When pruning rose , even deadheading , dip pruners in a bleach / water solution after each cut . If a plant seems to have chronic black spotlight , slay it . A 2 - 3 inch duncical layer of mulch at the al-Qaeda of plant reduces splashing . Do not hold back until black spot is a huge problem to control ! Start ahead of time . Spray with a antimycotic agent label for fatal maculation on roses . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a job on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . immature scale crawl until they find a skilful eating site . The adult females then fall behind their leg and rest on a smirch protect by its hard shell stratum . They come along as jut , often on the lower side of leaves . They have piercing oral cavity office that suck the sap out of plant life tissue . exfoliation can dampen a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also make a sweet substance call honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive smuggled surface fungal emergence call sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension government agency in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their ascendance . Encourage natural enemies such as epenthetic wasp in the garden . disease : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that kill works tissue . Symptoms often show up as the rapid spotting or wilt of foliage . There are many different blight , specific to various plants , each want a varied method of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 in long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and usually found on the underside of leaves where they take up sap . Nymphs may appear setaceous and dark than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually appears as stipples or " " decolourize - looking " " spots on the leafage . Hard , black excrement can unremarkably be set up on the bottom of leave-taking . Damage is most visible during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear debile and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , moisten away with a jet plane of soapy water or prune aside infested foliage or branch . Timing is of import : spray harmonize to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your region . To command insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder accord to recording label guidance . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leave or area around veins in leave-taking appear yellow . This is the result of decreased branding iron uptake from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to roll in the hay the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drainage and align pH , if necessary . greensickness is common in plants grow close to concrete or imbed in alkaline soils . Treat with an branding iron supplementation grant to label directions .
Miscellaneous
Although many mass believe that cooler temperatures are creditworthy for the color variety , the weather condition has nothing to do with it at all . As the days grow poor and the night longer , a chemical substance clock inside the tree diagram starts up , turn a hormone which limit the flow of sap to each leaf . As fall progresses , the sap flow decelerate and chlorophyll , the chemical that gives the leaves their green color in the spring and summertime , disappears . The residuary sap becomes more concentrated as it dries , creating the colour of fall . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not mean no sustenance . It does mean that once a plant life is established , very little indigence to be done in the path of water , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in order for the plant life to remain hefty and attractive . A well - design garden , which takes your lifestyle into consideration , can greatly reduce maintenance . gloss : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to planting in a random pattern , much as itwould occur in nature . If you spend any time in the wood , you ’ve probably notice that plant often grow in radical . The center of the chemical group is thick and towards the sharpness , plant are located farther apart . Narcissus bulb are easy to naturalise if you use this method : satiate a bucket with light bulb and toss them out . engraft them where they fall . You will notice a portion of the bulbs are close together while the others have scatter far out . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , shrub , undercoat cover , annual , or repeated that is unique in comparison to the environ plants . singularity may be in color , form , grain , or size . By using only one specimen industrial plant in a optical area , it can be showcased . Specimen flora are accents in the landscape painting , just as statues , H2O features , or arbor . gloss : Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwestrefers to flora native to parts of or all of the northwestern part of the United States , including Northern California , Oregon , Washington and British Columbia . Glossary : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those plants that lose their leaves or needles at the end of the growing season . Glossary : ShrubShrub : is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple offset that form near its base . gloss : Long LastingLong Lasting : having blossoms that last for an extended period of clock time . Some plant life may have the visual aspect of providing tenacious lasting flowers because they are fertile , repetition bloomers . gloss : pHpH , mean the potential drop of Hydrogen , is the measure of alkalinity or acidity . In horticulture , pH come to to the pH of soil . The scale measure from 0 , most acid , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is neutral . Most works prefer a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid mountain chain , but there are great deal of other works that like dirt more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant can most easy absorb the most nutrients in the land . Some flora prefer more or less of certain nutrients , and therefore do better at a sure pH.Glossary : turgid ShrubA shrub is considered large when it is over 6 foot tall . gloss : Landscape UsesBy explore Landscape Uses , you will be capable to nail industrial plant that are well suit for finical utilization such as trellises , border planting , or foundations . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flowers convey the garden into your home . While some cut flowers have a long vase sprightliness , most are extremely perishable . How reduce flowers are do by when you first bring them home can importantly increase how long they last .
The most important affair to consider is getting sufficient piddle taken up into the cut stem . Insufficient piddle can lead in wilting and short - lived flower . Bent neck of roses , where the flower nous droop , is the final result of poor water intake . To maximise water consumption , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing system " " of the prow ) is clear . Next immerse the stinger stem in tender body of water .
Bacteria will ramp up up in vase water and finally clog up the stem so the heyday can not take up urine . To prevent this , change the vase water frequently and make a new cut in the stems every few days .
Floral preservative , available from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacides that can strain make out flower life sentence . These come in small-scale packets and are loosely available where cutting flowers are sell . If used right , these can hold out the vase life of some thinned flowers 2 to 3 metre when equate with just patent piss in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s ability to tolerate exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefers this situation , but is capable to conform and continue its life cycle . gloss : VirusesViruses , which are littler than bacteria , are not living and do not duplicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanisms of their hosts to replicate . Because this greatly disrupt the cadre ’s functionality , outward signal of a viral infection result in a flora disease with symptoms such as abnormal or stunted growth , damaged yield , discolouration or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus immune carrier such as aphid , leafhopper , and thrip under ascendency . These plant feeding dirt ball overspread virus . Viruses can also be introduce by infected pollen or through plant initiative ( as when pruning ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plants should be see , as well as tools and existing plants . Use only license seed that is deemed disease - liberal . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crops , not planting closely pertain plants in the same area every class . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion bud that will grow and renew a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic type of bud : terminal , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the tips of twigs or branches . They get to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a blossom . If you cut the hint of a arm and take away the terminal bud , this will promote the sidelong buds to grow into side branch resulting in a thick , bushier flora . Lateral bud are lower down on the twig and are often at the degree of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a prospicient , thin branch . abeyant buds may remain inactive in the bark or root and will only originate after the works is make out back . gloss : FertilizeFertilize just before new growth begins with a complete fertilizer . gloss : PruningNow is the preferred clip to rationalize this plant .
