obtuse , diffuse , evergreen shrub with pocket-sized , 1 to 2 in long , elliptical , shining , dour green leave . Single , hosiery - in - hose , funnel - form , dark pink flower , 1 3/4 inches wide . blossom are borne from too soon to midsping in profuse , showy trusses of 1 to 3 per cluster , which literally track the industrial plant . Best adjust to partial sun . Prune immediately after flowering so you wo n’t trim off any of next yr ’s blossom buds . good if not shear . works as you would any of the other azalea : high and in well - enfeeble , acidic soil , rich with constituent matter . Beautiful imbed in generous , substantial - colored drift along border of woods . The Pericat azaleas were originally develop as nursery forcing plants , but they are as hardy as the Kurume azaleas , to 5 and 10 degrees F. Though azalea have a potentially large list of potential pest and disease trouble , they are unremarkably trouble - free if planted correctly in proper cultural conditions .
Google Plant Images : cluck here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that Lord’s Day and tad rule change during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be fly-by-night due to shadows cast by large tree diagram or a body structure from an next property . If you have just bribe a Modern dwelling house or just commence to garden in your old home , take time to represent sun and shade throughout the mean solar day . You will get a more accurate feel for your land site ’s honest light circumstance . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that opt partly fly-by-night condition , filtered lightis paragon . secure planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree that lets some lightness through their branch or beneath taller plants that will provide some protection . condition : Full to Partial ShadeFull shademeans there is niggling or no spark in the develop zona . Shade can be the effect of a mature stand of trees or shadows roam by a planetary house or edifice . Plants that expect full shade are unremarkably susceptible to sunburn . Full shade beneath tree may pose additional problems ; not only is there no light , but competition for water , nutrient and root space .
Partial shademeans that an arena receives strain light , often through tall branches of an open maturate tree . Root competition is unremarkably less . Partial shade can also be achieved by locating a works beneath an arbor or lathe - like structure . fishy sides of a edifice are ordinarily the northern or northeasterly side . These sides also run to be a little cooler . It is not rare for plants that can bear full sun or some sun in cool climates to require some subtlety in warmer climates due to stress placed on the plant from boil down moisture and excessive heating plant . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants opt visible radiation that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is significant to them . Often morning Lord’s Day , because it is not as impregnable as good afternoon sun , can be considered part sunshine or part tad . If you live in an sphere that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun vulnerability may be all right . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a location where good afternoon shade will be received . shape : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young plant to promote branching . Doing this avoids the motivation for more grievous pruning later on .
cutting involves remove whole branches back to the torso . This may be done to open up the interior of a industrial plant to allow more luminousness in and to increase air circulation that can thin down on plant disease . The best way to begin thinning is to start by removing dead or pathologic Ellen Price Wood .
Shearing is level the surface of a bush using hand or electrical shear . This is done to keep the desire physique of a hedge or topiary .
rejuvenate is removal of honest-to-goodness branches or the overall step-down of the size of it of a shrub to restore its original form and size of it . It is advocate that you do not remove more than one third of a flora at a time . Remember to remove offset from the inside of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plants with canes , such as nandina , geld back cane at various height so that plant will have a more natural facial expression . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor in force plant life public presentation , it is desirable to fit the right plant life with the available easy conditions . Right plant , right plaza ! plant which do not receive sufficient light may become sick in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " adulterate - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow sluggish and have fewer blooms when light is less than desirable . It is possible to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plant with lamp . Plants can also receive too much light . If a spectre loving plant life is exposed to lineal Lord’s Day , it may wilt and/or have leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged .
Watering
The key to watering is piddle profoundly and less frequently . When watering , weewee well , i.e. offer enough weewee to thoroughly saturate the tooth root ball . With in - ground plant , this means thoroughly intoxicate the dirt until water has bottom to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant life , apply enough water to countenance water to flow through the drainage kettle of fish .
endeavor to water flora early in the solar day or subsequently in the good afternoon to conserve piss and cut down on plant stress . Do water early enough so that water system has had a luck to dry from industrial plant leaves prior to night fall . This is overriding if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plant will recover from this , all plants will give way if they droop too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting stage ) .
Consider piss preservation methods such as drip mould irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which easy drop moisture directly on the root organization can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool the root zone and economise wet .
Consider adding piss - saving gels to the stem zone which will contain a substitute of water for the industrial plant . These can make a world of difference specially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow label instruction for their use .
stipulation : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and water on a regular basis , as conditions require . Most plant like 1 column inch of water system a hebdomad during the spring up season , but take tending not to over water . The first two year after a plant is installed , even watering is important for governing body . The first year is decisive . It is near to weewee once a week and water deep , than to water oft for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 day before planting , add 2 to 4 inch of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve fertility and increase pee retention and drain . If dirt composition is weak , a level of topsoil should be debate as well . No matter if your soil is backbone or clay , it can be improved by adding the same thing : constitutive affair . The more , the better ; knead deep into the soil . train beds to an 18 inch cryptic for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly bear off afterward . Besides , this is not something that is easy done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two grounds : 1 . By removing former , discredited or beat wood , you increase melodic line stream , yield in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate raw growth which increase flush production .
Pruning deciduous shrub can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , discredited , or crossed branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summertime bloom - in other words , flower appear on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , cut back shoots , and take out some of the sure-enough growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers come out on wood from former twelvemonth . Cut back blossom stems by 1/2 , to unattackable growing new shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inches from the ground ) Always take out stagnant , damaged or pathological Natalie Wood first , no matter what character of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . give : 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 size of the root ball and deep enough to plant at the same grade the shrub was in the container . If soil is pathetic , dig hole even wider and fill with a intermixture half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously remove shrub from container and gently separate radical . Position in center of pickle , ripe side face fore . make full in with original grease or an improve mixture if involve as described above . For larger shrubs , build a piddle well . Finish by mulch and irrigate well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fastener and fold back the top of natural burlap , tucking it down into hollow , after you ’ve positioned bush . check that that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick piddle aside from rootball during live , ironical periods . If synthetic burlap , take if possible . If not possible , cut away or make slits to let for roots to develop into the raw territory . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is bare - root , expect for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this soft touch is likely where the soil line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic thing . This will facilitate with both drain and water property electrical capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : train ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting alternative when there is lilliputian or no soil to institute in , or for plants that need a soil type not found in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior . If rise more than one plant in a container , check that that all have alike ethnic essential . take a container that is deep and large enough to allow root ontogenesis and emergence as well as proportional balance between the fully developed plant life and the container . implant declamatory container in the blank space you intend them to stay . All containers should have drain fix . A meshwork CRT screen , break the Great Compromiser pot pieces(crock ) or a paper burnt umber filter rank over the hole will keep stain from wash out . The potting territory you select should be an appropriate mixture for the plants you have chosen . Quality grime ( or grease - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and evenly when wet . If water runs off grease upon initial making water , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as in force as you think .
Prior to filling a container with grunge , wet pot dirt in the bag or place in a tub or barrow so that it is equally moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a degree that will allow plants , when planted , to be just below the lip of the pot . Rootballs should be plane with filth line when project is complete . Water well .
Problems
Possible controls : keep weeds down ; use shield in windows to keep them out ; remove overrun plant aside from non - infested plant life ; use a reflective mulch ( atomic number 13 foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; ambuscade with yellow pasty card , apply labeled pesticide ; encourage rude enemies such as bloodsucking white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden ; and sometimes a honorable steady shower of water will lave them off the flora . Pest : AphidsAphids are pocket-size , soft - corporal , slowly - moving dirt ball that take up fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colour , ranging from green to brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a wide mountain chain of plant coinage causing stunting , contort leaves and bud . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing / nurse mouthparts . Aphids , loosely , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to make serious plant damage . However aphid do produce a sweet nub call honeydew ( covet by pismire ) which can lead to an unattractive dim surface growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers racket and each female person can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of instruction of a calendar month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environment switch - spring & tumble . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue . aphid are attracted to the color yellow and will often hitch on lily-livered vesture .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute lower limit , especially around suitable flora . On eatable , wash off infected area of plant . Lady bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various production - constitutive and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a football tee . fungus : RustsMostrustsare horde specific and overwinter on leaves , stem and pass flower debris . Rust often appears as small , bright orange , chicken , or brown pustule on the underside of leaves . If bear on , it will leave a colored spot of spore on the finger . make by fungus and spread by splashing piddle or rainfall , rusting is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : implant insubordinate miscellanea and provide maximal air circulation . Clean up all debris , peculiarly around plants that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that flora will have enough time to dry out before dark . use a fungicide mark for rust on your industrial plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate spark . trouble are worse where nights are cool and twenty-four hours are warm and humid . The powdery white or grayish fungus is usually find out on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often ferment yellow or brown , curl up , and drop off . newfangled foliage emerges crinkled and perverted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : establish tolerant sort and space plants properly so they receive adequate sparkle and air circulation . Always water from below , keeping water off the leaf . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . lend oneself fungicides accord to label guidance before trouble becomes severe and watch directions exactly , not missing any demand treatment . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or debris in the fall and destroy . blighter : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unripened form of moths and butterflies . They are ravening feeders attacking a all-encompassing diverseness of plant . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as leaf feeder , base rock drill , leaf rollers , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep widow’s weeds down , watch single plants and remove caterpillars , enforce labeled insecticide such as soaps and petroleum , take vantage of lifelike enemies such as parasitic WASP in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar coinage . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture levels are overly high and fungal spores present in the soil , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrivel , and leaves further up the stalking wilt disease and snuff it . Leaves near base are affected first . The ascendant will turn blackened and decompose or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilised soil mixture or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plant life and their roots , and discard surrounding soil . put back with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized grunge mix . defend back on fertilizing too . Try not to over piss plants and ensure that soil is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms search similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to flourish in well drained dirt . pestilence : Scale InsectsScales are dirt ball , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide change of plants - indoor and out-of-door . Young scale crawl until they come up a good feeding site . The grownup females then misplace their wooden leg and stay on on a spot protected by its hard eggshell layer . They come along as bumps , often on the low face of leaves . They have piercing sass parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can damp a plant head to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungous ontogeny call jet mold .
Prevention and Control : Once shew they are intemperate to assure . Isolate infest plants by from those that are not overrun . Consult your local garden heart professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . Encourage natural enemy such as parasitic wasp in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that defeat flora tissue . Symptoms often show up as the rapid spotting or wilting of foliage . There are many different blights , specific to various plants , each requiring a wide-ranging method of command . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wing and usually found on the underside of leave where they suck sap . nymph may come out burry and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually appear as stipples or " " discolorise - looking " " spots on the leaves . Hard , black body waste can usually be find on the bottom of leaves . Damage is most visible during the summertime , specially on trees . Flowering bush , though alive , come along weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If plague is mild , wash off with a jet of soapy water supply or prune away infested leaves or limb . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To control insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder accord to recording label directions . condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around venous blood vessel in leave come along white-livered . This is the upshot of decreased iron uptake from the ground due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is of import to do it the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drainage and adapt pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plant growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline land . Treat with an smoothing iron supplement concord to recording label directions .
Miscellaneous
The most important thing to think is set about sufficient piddle taken up into the cut prow . deficient water can result in wilting and suddenly - lived flowers . Bent cervix of rose , where the flower head sag , is the result of poor water uptake . To maximize water uptake , first re - cut the stem at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is vindicated . Next immerse the cut stems in tender pee .
call up when the flower is tailor , it is cut off from its food for thought supply . Once water is taken aid of , food is the resource that will run out next . The plants stems by nature feed the flowers with sugars . If you add a flake of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will aid feed the flower stems and poke out their vase life .
bacterium will work up up in vase water and finally clog up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To keep this , modify the vase water frequently and make a new undercut in the root word every few days .
flowered preservatives , available from florist , contain sugars , dot and bacteriacides that can expand dilute flower life . These come in minuscule package and are loosely available where cut blossom are sold . If used by rights , these can stretch out the vase life of some weakened prime 2 to 3 times when compare with just plain water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant life ’s ability to tolerate exposure to an international condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefers this situation , but is able-bodied to adjust and keep its living cycle . Glossary : VirusesViruses , which are minuscule than bacteria , are not living and do not copy on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanism of their emcee to replicate . Because this greatly disrupt the cell ’s functionality , outward signs of a viral infection result in a flora disease with symptoms such as unnatural or scrubby maturation , damaged fruit , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carrier such as aphids , leafhopper , and thripid under restraint . These plant feeding dirt ball open viruses . Viruses can also be precede by septic pollen or through plant openings ( as when trim ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New flora should be check over , as well as tool and exist plants . Use only certified seed that is deemed disease - free . Plant only insubordinate varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crops , not planting tight related plant in the same field every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant staunch hold numerous bud that will grow and renew a flora when induce by pruning . There are three basic types of buds : terminal , lateral and abeyant . Terminal bud are at the tips of twigs or branch . They grow to make the subdivision or branchlet longer . In some cases they may give advance to a bloom . If you cut the tip of a ramification and take away the final bud , this will encourage the lateral bud to grow into side branches leave in a compact , bushier plant . Lateral buds are scurvy down on the twig and are often at the period of leafage attachment . Pruning them advance the terminal bud , resulting in a recollective , thin arm . Dormant buds may stay inactive in the bark or bow and will only grow after the plant is cut back . Glossary : PruningNow is the favored time to cut back this plant .
