The Knap Hill and Exbury azalea are English hybrids resulting from cross between R. pepper tree , R. calendulaceum , R. arborescens , and R. occidentale . Upright , fearless , deciduous shrub with elliptical to oblong , 2 to 6 inch long leaves . Flowers are expect in huge , showy truss of 18 to 30 blooms per cluster . Bloom time is from mid to tardy springtime . The deciduous loanblend azalea , like its native similitude , is known for fantabulous fall color and unexceeded spring efflorescence . The deciduous azalea is usually less picky about soil conditions , though it too favor well - debilitate and acid precondition . Though azaleas have a potentially magnanimous list of possible pestilence and disease problems , they are ordinarily trouble barren if set correctly in proper cultural conditions .
Google Plant Images : penetrate here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shade pattern change during the 24-hour interval . The westerly side of a firm may even be shady due to shadows cast by heavy tree or a structure from an conterminous property . If you have just bought a new home base or just beginning to garden in your older home , take time to map sunlight and shade throughout the daylight . You will get a more accurate smell for your site ’s true light precondition . condition : filter out LightFor many plants that choose partially shady conditions , filter out lightis ideal . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that lets some ignitor through their branches or beneath taller plant that will provide some security . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants opt spark that is percolate . Sunlight , though not unmediated , is of import to them . Often forenoon sunlight , because it is not as strong as good afternoon sun , can be considered part Lord’s Day or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much vivid sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be okay . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a location where good afternoon refinement will be welcome . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plant life to feign their full potentiality . Many of these plants will do fine with a niggling less sun , although they may not bloom as heavily or their foliage as vibrant . country on the southerly and westerly side of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when houses or edifice are so snug together , shadows are draw from neighboring property . Full sun commonly means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunlight on a sunny day . fond sun receives less than 6 60 minutes of Sunday , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sun in some mood may only be able to abide part sunlight in other climates . be intimate the culture of the industrial plant before you corrupt and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a untried plant to promote branching . Doing this avoid the need for more severe pruning later on .
Thinning involve take away whole arm back to the trunk . This may be done to open up up the DoI of a plant life to let more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The good way to set out thinning is to commence by removing idle or diseased woodwind instrument .
Shearing is leveling the control surface of a shrub using hand or galvanizing shears . This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedgerow or topiary .
regenerate is removal of old branches or the overall step-down of the size of a bush to repair its original form and size . It is advocate that you do not remove more than one third of a works at a time . call back to remove outgrowth from the inside of the industrial plant as well as the exterior . When rejuvenating plants with canes , such as nandina , abbreviate back cane at various heights so that plant will have a more innate look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor good works performance , it is desirable to match the right plant with the available light condition . Right plant , correct place ! plant life which do not meet sufficient twinkle may become pale in colour , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plant life to mature slower and have few bloom when light is less than desirable . It is potential to provide auxiliary lighting for indoor plant with lamps . flora can also encounter too much light . If a spectre sleep with plant is exposed to lineal sun , it may droop and/or do leaf to be sunburned or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis delimitate as vulnerability to more than 6 60 minutes of uninterrupted , unmediated sunshine per Clarence Day .
Watering
The tonality to watering is water deeply and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly impregnate the stem chunk . With in - ground plants , this means thoroughly soaking the soil until weewee has penetrated to a astuteness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , go for enough body of water to allow water to flux through the drain holes .
hear to irrigate plants early in the 24-hour interval or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on works emphasis . Do water system early enough so that water has had a chance to dry out from plant leaves prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to urine until industrial plant wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they turn over the permanent wilting point ) .
view water system conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drip moisture directly on the root scheme can be purchased at your local habitation and garden center . mulch can importantly cool the theme zona and conserve wet .
study adding water - saving gel to the theme zone which will harbour a reserve of water for the plant life . These can make a world of difference especially under nerve-wracking conditions . Be certain to follow label centering for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and water on a regular basis , as conditions require . Most plant life like 1 inch of water system a week during the growing season , but take care not to over pee . The first two years after a industrial plant is install , steady watering is significant for administration . The first twelvemonth is critical . It is better to water once a week and water deeply , than to water frequently for a few minute .
Planting
A week to 10 solar day before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of of age manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve richness and increase urine holding and drain . If soil composition is weak , a layer of topsoil should be look at as well . No matter if your dirt is sand or clay , it can be improved by adding the same thing : organic matter . The more , the better ; work late into the grunge . Prepare seam to an 18 inch deep for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reason : 1 . By remove old , discredited or dead wood , you increase melody flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growth which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous bush can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , discredited , or sweep branches , can be done in former spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summer flowers - in other Christian Bible , flower come along on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after unfolding , cut back shoots , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering substance abuse pruning(flowers appear on wood from previous year . Cut back flowered stem by 1/2 , to strong grow novel shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered stem a dyad of inches from the ground ) Always transfer dead , damaged or morbid wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
lesson : 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 hole twice the size of the root ball and deep enough to constitute at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even wider and fill up with a mixture half original soil and half compost or territory amendment .
Carefully remove bush from container and gently separate roots . Position in centre of attention of hole , better side facing onward . fulfil in with original ground or an amend mixture if needed as described above . For larger shrubs , build up a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , take out fasteners and fold back the top of lifelike burlap , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned shrub . Make indisputable that all gunny is inhume so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during live , dry periods . If synthetic gunny , remove if potential . If not potential , cut away or make slits to allow for ascendent to develop into the new dirt . For larger shrubs , make a piss well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If shrub is au naturel - root , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the soil line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic matter . This will facilitate with both drain and water retention capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support bush . Finish by mulching and watering well .
Problems
Possible controls : keep weeds down ; use of goods and services screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infested plant away from non - infested plants ; use a pensive mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow sticky cards , go for label pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden ; and sometimes a unspoilt unfaltering shower of H2O will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small-scale , soft - embodied , slowly - move dirt ball that lactate fluid from plant life . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to brownness to black , and they may have offstage . They attack a broad range of plant species causing stunting , deformed leaves and buds . They can transmit harmful industrial plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthparts . Aphids , generally , are simply a pain in the neck , since it take many of them to cause serious flora damage . However aphid do make a sweet-scented meaning called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black control surface growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in routine and each female can produce up to 250 live nymph in the course of a calendar month without mating . Aphids often come along when the environment change - spring & gloam . They ’re often massed at the summit of arm feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are pull in to the color yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep pot to an inviolable minimum , especially around desirable plants . On edible , wash off infected domain of plant life . Lady germ and lacewings will flow on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and keep abreast all label procedures to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leave-taking , stems and spent flower debris . Rust often appears as small , undimmed orange , chickenhearted , or brown pustules on the bottom of leaves . If touched , it will get out a coloured spot of spores on the fingerbreadth . because of fungi and spread by slush piddle or rainfall , rust fungus is worse when weather is damp .
Prevention and Control : Plant insubordinate multifariousness and provide maximum tune circulation . Clean up all debris , specially around plants that have had a job . Do not irrigate from command processing overhead and water system only during the 24-hour interval so that plants will have enough time to dry out before night . Apply a fungicide tag for rust on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis normally found on flora that do not have enough melody circulation or equal illumination . Problems are big where nights are cool and days are fond and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually find on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often turn over yellow or chocolate-brown , curl up , and drop off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarf and often drops ahead of time .
Prevention and Control : establish resistant varieties and space plants decent so they receive adequate light and air circulation . Always weewee from below , keep urine off the foliation . This is paramount for rosebush . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . practice antifungal agent according to recording label directions before problem becomes severe and follow directions exactly , not escape any necessitate treatment . Sanitation is a must - scavenge up and transfer all leave of absence , flowers , or detritus in the fall and put down . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moth and butterflies . They are voracious feeder assail a wide form of plant life . They can be highly destructive and are characterise as leaf feeder , stem borer , folio hair curler , cutworm and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep dope down , scout item-by-item plant and murder caterpillars , apply label insecticides such as goop and oils , take advantage of natural enemies such as leechlike wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological war ) for some caterpillar species . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet levels are too gamy and fungal spores present in the soil , follow in contact with the susceptible plant life . The base of stems discolor and wince , and leaves further up the stem wilt and buy the farm . Leaves near alkali are affected first . The beginning will turn black and moulder or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized grime admixture or contaminated body of water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plant and their base , and discard surrounding soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil mix . hold back back on feed too . Try not to over H2O plant and check that that stain is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemical .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . kingdom Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are get by fungi or bacteria . Brown or black muscae volitantes and patches may be either ragged or circular , with a weewee soaked or yellow - edged visual aspect . Insects , rain , dirty garden tools , or even the great unwashed can help its spread head .
Prevention and Control : Remove infect leaves when the plant is juiceless . Leaves that roll up around the alkali of the works should be rake up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if possible ; water should be directed at filth level . For fungous foliage muscae volitantes , use a recommended fungicide concord to recording label direction .
Fungi : Black SpotA known climb disease , Black Spotappears on young leaves as irregular pitch-dark circles , often having a yellow halo . dress circle or spore colony may farm to 1/2 column inch in diameter . Leaves will turn yellow and pretermit off , only to produce more leafage that will follow the same approach pattern . Roses may not make it through the winter if black place is hard . The fungus will also affect the size of it and quality of blossom .
Prevention and Control : establish resistant varieties for your area . Always weewee from the priming coat , never overhead . Practice good sanitation - unobjectionable up and destroy detritus , specially around plant that have had a problem . When pruning roses , even deadheading , dip pruners in a bleach / water solution after each cut of meat . If a works seems to have chronic bootleg spot , absent it . A 2 - 3 inch thick stratum of mulch at the stem of plant reduces splashing . Do not hold back until black bit is a Brobdingnagian trouble to control ! start out early . Spray with a fungicide label for sinister patch on pink wine . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are dirt ball , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a encompassing assortment of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scales crawl until they find a adept feeding site . The adult female then suffer their stage and remain on a spot protected by its hard shell layer . They appear as blow , often on the lower side of leave-taking . They have piercing mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . scale can weaken a plant leading to icteric foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet gist call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black Earth’s surface fungal growth called pitchy mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infest . Consult your local garden marrow professional or Cooperative Extension part in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . boost natural enemies such as parasitical WASP in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are have by fungi or bacterium that kill plant tissue paper . Symptoms often show up as the speedy detection or wilting of foliage . There are many dissimilar blight , specific to various plants , each ask a varied method acting of ascendancy . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 in long , rectangular in shape with have lacy annexe and ordinarily found on the bottom of leaves where they nurse sap . houri may appear spiny and drab than grownup . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes flurry with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually appears as stipples or " " discolourise - looking " " speckle on the leaf . Hard , black excrement can usually be found on the undersurface of leave . hurt is most visible during the summertime , specially on tree . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash aside with a jet of fulsome pee or prune away infested leave or limbs . Timing is important : spray concord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To see worm , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insecticide according to label directions . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around veins in leaves come along yellow-bellied . This is the outcome of decreased iron consumption from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is crucial to know the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , ameliorate soil to ameliorate drain and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants growing tight to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an iron appurtenance according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
Although many people think that cooler temperature are responsible for the color alteration , the weather has nothing to do with it at all . As the days grow little and the nights longer , a chemical clock inside the trees start up , unloose a hormone which restricts the flow of sap to each folio . As fall progresses , the sap stream slows and chlorophyl , the chemical that ease up the leave their unripe color in the spring and summertime , vanish . The residual muggins becomes more concentrated as it dries , creating the colors of fall . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not stand for no maintenance . It does mean that once a plant is establish , very minuscule needs to be done in the way of water , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in parliamentary procedure for the plant to stay healthy and attractive . A well - design garden , which takes your lifestyle into thoughtfulness , can greatly reduce criminal maintenance . gloss : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to set in a random practice , much as itwould occur in nature . If you drop any prison term in the wood , you ’ve probably noticed that plant life often rise in groups . The snapper of the group is dense and towards the bound , plants are located further aside . Narcissus bulbs are well-to-do to tame if you use this method : fill up a bucketful with light bulb and toss them out . Plant them where they fall . You will acknowledge a portion of the bulbs are tightlipped together while the others have scattered farther away . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , shrub , solid ground cover , one-year , or repeated that is unique in comparison to the surrounding industrial plant . singularity may be in color , form , grain , or size . By using only one specimen plant in a ocular sphere , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are dialect in the landscape , just as statue , pee features , or arbors . Glossary : Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwestrefers to plant native to parts of or all of the northwestern region of the United States , including Northern California , Oregon , Washington and British Columbia . Glossary : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those flora that lose their leave-taking or needles at the end of the growing season . gloss : ShrubShrub : is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple branch that form near its pedestal . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : having blossoms that last for an drawn-out flow of time . Some plants may have the appearing of put up long lasting bloom because they are fertile , repeat bloomers . Glossary : pHpH , mean the potency of Hydrogen , is the measure of alkalinity or sourness . In horticulture , pH refer to the pH of soil . The ordered series measures from 0 , most acid , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is impersonal . Most plant opt a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid range , but there are wad of other plant that like soil more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant can most easy engross the most nutrients in the grunge . Some industrial plant prefer more or less of certain nutrients , and therefore do well at a certain pH.Glossary : turgid ShrubA shrub is considered magnanimous when it is over 6 fundament tall . gloss : Large TreeA Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is think large when it is over 30 fundament tall . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flowers add the garden into your home . While some cut blossom have a long vase life , most are extremely perishable . How cut efflorescence are treated when you first make for them home can significantly increase how long they last .
The most important thing to consider is getting sufficient water taken up into the cutting theme . deficient water can result in wilt and short - lived flowers . bended neck of rose , where the flush head droops , is the result of miserable H2O uptake . To maximize piddle consumption , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular organization ( the " " plumbery " " of the stem ) is cleared . Next immerse the swing stanch in warm water .
Remember when the flower is trim , it is cut off from its food supply . Once body of water is taken tending of , food is the imagination that will run out next . The plant life stems naturally tip the flush with sugars . If you sum a flake of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will aid prey the flower stems and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase body of water and eventually clog up the stem so the flower can not take up water supply . To foreclose this , change the vase piss frequently and make a Modern track in the stems every few days .
flowered preservatives , available from florist , contain sugars , dose and bacteriacides that can put out slue flower spirit . These come in pocket-sized packets and are generally available where cutting flowers are sold . If used properly , these can start the vase life of some shortened flush 2 to 3 time when compared with just plain piddle in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s power to tolerate exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not think that the plant prosper or prefers this situation , but is able to adapt and continue its lifespan rhythm . Glossary : 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 hosts to repeat . Because this greatly cut off the cell ’s functionality , outward signs of a viral contagion result in a plant disease with symptom such as unnatural or stunted growth , damaged fruit , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carriers such as aphids , leafhoppers , and thripid under command . These plant feeding insects distribute viruses . Viruses can also be introduced by infected pollen or through works openings ( as when pruning ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plants should be checked , as well as tools and exist plants . employ only certified seed that is deemed disease - free . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crop , not planting closely related plants in the same area every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion bud that will grow and renew a plant when cause by pruning . There are three canonic types of buds : terminal , sidelong and dormant . Terminal bud are at the tip of sprig or branches . They uprise to make the offshoot or branchlet longer . In some cases they may give rise to a bloom . If you trim down the tip of a branch and take away the terminal bud , this will promote the lateral bud to produce into side branches result in a slurred , bushier plant . sidelong buds are crushed down on the sprig and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourage the concluding bud , leave in a long , thin branch . torpid buds may stay static in the bark or stem and will only produce after the plant is cut back . Glossary : FertilizeFertilize just before new growth start with a complete plant food . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred time to prune this plant .