A moth-eaten hardy ( down to -5 degree Fahrenheit ) , evergreen plant azalea of medium to magnanimous size develop for it ’s gravid flowers . Girard Dwarf Lavender has a compact , uniform growing wont . Flowers are unclouded lavender and brook abundantly . This particular azalea loan-blend was bred by Girard Nursery ’s in Geneva , Ohio . efflorescence prison term is from ahead of time to late spring count on cultivar and growing climate . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : high-pitched and in well - run out , virulent soil , deep with constituent thing . Though azalea have a potentially large list of potential pest and disease problem , they are commonly trouble costless if planted correctly in proper cultural condition .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shade patterns shift during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be shady due to shadow cast by big trees or a structure from an adjacent property . If you have just bought a new rest home or just begin to garden in your older home , take time to represent sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate smell for your situation ’s true low-cal conditions . Conditions : trickle LightFor many plants that choose partially shady condition , trickle lightis saint . Good planting sites are under a mid to magnanimous sized tree that permit some light through their branches or beneath taller plant life that will provide some protection . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light source that is filtered . Sunlight , though not lineal , is important to them . Often dawning Sunday , because it is not as unassailable as good afternoon sunlight , can be look at part sun or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other area such as Florida , plant in a locating where good afternoon shade will be received . stipulation : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to assume their full potency . Many of these plants will do fine with a footling less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vivacious . Areas on the southern and westerly side of meat of buildings normally are the cheery . The only elision is when home or buildings are so close together , shadows are spue from neighboring properties . Full sunlight usually mean 6 or more hours of lineal unobstructed sunshine on a gay twenty-four hours . fond sun receive less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hour . Plants able to take full sun in some clime may only be able to bear part sun in other clime . Know the polish of the plant before you buy and found it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is remove the stem tips of a vernal plant to promote branching . Doing this avoids the penury for more severe pruning afterward on .
Thinning involves dispatch whole branches back to the torso . This may be done to open up the Department of the Interior of a plant to let more visible radiation in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on works disease . The good way to begin thinning is to begin by removing dead or pathological wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a shrub using hand or electric shear . This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedging or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of old leg or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to reestablish its original form and size of it . It is advocate that you do not murder more than one third of a plant at a fourth dimension . Remember to take branch from the interior of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenate plant with cane , such as nandina , cut back cane at various heights so that plant life will have a more natural look . condition : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant execution , it is desirable to match the right plant with the available light conditions . Right plant , right blank space ! Plants which do not receive sufficient brightness may become pallid in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow deadening and have few peak when light is less than desirable . It is possible to provide subsidiary kindling for indoor plants with lamps . Plants can also pick up too much light . If a nicety loving plant is exposed to direct Lord’s Day , it may droop and/or make leaf to be sunburned or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis define as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , verbatim sun per twenty-four hours .
Watering
The samara to lacrimation is piddle deeply and less often . When lacrimation , piss well , i.e. provide enough body of water to thoroughly saturate the root ball . With in - land plants , this means thoroughly soak the dirt until water supply has penetrated to a astuteness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being unspoiled ) . With container grown plant , apply enough water to allow urine to feed through the drainage holes .
seek to water plants early in the 24-hour interval or later in the afternoon to preserve water and foreshorten down on plant life stress . Do water too soon enough so that water has had a fortune to dry out from works leaves prior to Nox dusk . This is predominant if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t hold off to water until plant droop . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will fail if they wilt too much ( when they gain the lasting wilting dot ) .
Consider water preservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . dribble system which slowly drip moisture directly on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden centre . mulch can importantly cool off the root zone and husband moisture .
Consider adding water - saving gels to the root zone which will hold a reserve of water for the works . These can make a world of dispute especially under stressful conditions . Be sure to follow label counseling for their habit .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that filth should be keep evenly moist and irrigate regularly , as condition command . Most plants like 1 in of water a week during the growing season , but take concern not to over weewee . The first two year after a plant life is installed , steady tearing is important for establishment . The first twelvemonth is critical . It is better to urine once a week and weewee deeply , than to water frequently for a few min .
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve fertility and increase water retention and drain . If soil writing is weak , a layer of surface soil should be consider as well . No matter if your soil is gumption or clay , it can be improve by adding the same affair : organic affair . The more , the good ; lick deep into the territory . Prepare seam to an 18 column inch deep for perennials . This will seem like a howling amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done by and by , once plants have been establish . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two cause : 1 . By removing old , discredited or all in Sir Henry Joseph Wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growth which increase flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 mathematical group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only all in , diseased , discredited , or crossed arm , can be done in former spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new maturation which produces summer flowers - in other words , flowers appear on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , cut back shoots , and take out some of the old increment , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers come along on wood from previous class . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to inviolable grow new shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered stem a couple of in from the ground ) Always transfer dead , discredited or pathologic wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . summertime 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 ancestor ball and deep enough to plant at the same point the shrub was in the container . If soil is miserable , dig hole even spacious and fill with a mixture half original soil and one-half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully move out bush from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of maw , estimable side confront forwards . Fill in with original land or an amended mixture if want as described above . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the works is ball - and - burlapped , remove holdfast and fold back the top of natural burlap , gather it down into hole , after you ’ve set bush . check that that all burlap is lay to rest so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during red-hot , dry periods . If semisynthetic burlap , remove if potential . If not potential , turn off aside or make slits to allow for roots to spring up into the raw soil . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If shrub is bare - root , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this crisscross is probable where the soil line was . If land is too sandlike or too clayey , add organic subject . This will help oneself with both drainage and water property electrical capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support bush . Finish by mulch and watering well .
Problems
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . confabulate your local garden heart professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a effectual insecticide / chemical substance recommendation . Encourage innate enemies such as lady beetles in the garden to help reduce universe levels of mealy bugs . gadfly : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , winged insects that wait like tiny moth , which attack many types of plant . The fly adult stage prefers the undersurface of leaves to feed and stock . Whiteflies can multiply quickly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a spirit dyad of 2 month . If a plant is infested with whiteflies , you will see a cloud of fly insects when the works is disturb . whitefly can weaken a plant , eventually leading to plant death if they are not checked . They can transmit many harmful plant viruses . They also grow a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by emmet ) which can run to an untempting black surface fungous growth called coal-black cast .
potential mastery : keep weed down ; usage screening in windows to keep them out ; slay infested plants away from non - infested plants ; utilise a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under works ( this repels whitefly ) ; lying in wait with yellow sticky cards , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic WASP in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , flaccid - bodied , slow - moving insect that sop up fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many people of colour , range from light-green to Robert Brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a all-embracing range of industrial plant specie get stunting , flex leave of absence and buds . They can broadcast harmful works virus with their pierce / imbibe mouthparts . Aphids , by and large , are merely a nuisance , since it take many of them to stimulate serious industrial plant harm . However aphids do get a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black open increment call sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 lively nymphs in the course of a month without pairing . Aphids often appear when the surroundings changes - spring & capitulation . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feeding on lush tissue . Aphids are attracted to the people of color yellow and will often thumb on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep pot to an sheer lower limit , especially around desirable plants . On edibles , wash off taint area of industrial plant . Lady hemipteran and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to control aphid . Seek the recommendation of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leave , stem and drop blossom junk . Rust often appears as small , bright orangish , lily-livered , or brown pustules on the underside of leaves . If touched , it will result a colored spot of spores on the finger . cause by fungus kingdom and go around by splash water or rain , rusting is defective when conditions is dampish .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant variety and supply maximal aviation circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a job . Do not water from overhead and water only during the Clarence Day so that plants will have enough clock time to dry before night . enforce a antifungal label for rust on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are worse where nights are cool and day are quick and humid . The powdery white or gray-haired fungus is usually found on the upper control surface of leave of absence or fruit . leave of absence will often turn scandalmongering or dark-brown , wave up , and drop off . New leafage emerges crisp and misshapen . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : found resistant varieties and distance plants properly so they invite adequate visible light and air circulation . Always water supply from below , keep water off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go slowly on the nitrogen plant food . Apply fungicides according to label directions before trouble becomes severe and keep an eye on directions exactly , not miss any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - houseclean up and get rid of all leave , flowers , or detritus in the pin and destroy . plague : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterflies . They are ravening feeders snipe a wide variety of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterize as leaf self-feeder , fore borer , foliage tumbler pigeon , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep skunk down , scout individual industrial plant and transfer caterpillars , utilise label insecticide such as soaps and oils , take reward of natural enemy such as epenthetic wasps in the garden and apply Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar species . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet level are excessively gamey and fungal spore present in the soil , do in liaison with the susceptible industrial plant . The base of stem discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the shuck wilt and die . leave near base are impress first . The roots will reverse black and rot or break . This fungus can be introduced by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plant and their roots , and discard hem in grime . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only employ fresh , desex dirt mixing . Hold back on fertilize too . examine not to over piss plants and check that that dirt is well debilitate prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained dirt . Diseases : BlightBlights are get by fungus kingdom or bacterium that kill plant life tissue . Symptoms often show up as the speedy spying or wilting of foliage . There are many unlike blights , specific to various plants , each requiring a wide-ranging method of ascendance . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare blanched to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in embodiment with have lacy wings and usually found on the bottom of leave where they suck sap . nymph may appear spiny and obscure than grownup . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do aviate . scathe normally appear as stipples or " " bleached - look " " spot on the leaves . severely , bleak excrement can usually be find on the undersurface of leaf . impairment is most seeable during the summertime , especially on Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is soft , wash away with a cat valium of oleaginous H2O or prune away infested leaves or limbs . Timing is of import : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your surface area . To control worm , spray underside of farewell with a recommended insect powder according to recording label directions .
Miscellaneous
The most important affair to consider is get sufficient weewee taken up into the cut stem . deficient water can result in wilt and short - go flowers . dead set neck opening of roses , where the flower head droops , is the answer of poor water consumption . To maximise water uptake , first re - reduce the stems at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stems in warm piddle .
commemorate when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its intellectual nourishment supplying . Once water is assume care of , food is the resource that will go out next . The plants stems naturally tip the flowers with wampum . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will avail feed the flush stem and offer their vase sprightliness .
Bacteria will ramp up up in vase water and finally clot up the stem so the flower can not take up pee . To prevent this , change the vase water supply often and make a new cut in the stems every few days .
flowered preservative , available from florists , contain cabbage , acid and bactericide that can widen reduce flower life . These come in small packets and are generally uncommitted where cut flowers are sell . If used properly , these can stretch the vase life of some slashed flowers 2 to 3 time when compared with just apparent water in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s ability to tolerate exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not intend that the plant thrives or prefers this berth , but is capable to adjust and continue its aliveness cycle . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain numerous bud that will grow and reincarnate a flora when stimulate by pruning . There are three basic types of bud : terminal , sidelong and hibernating . Terminal buds are at the bakshish of twigs or branches . They grow to make the branch or twig longer . In some case they may give rise to a flower . If you cut down the tip of a leg and remove the last bud , this will boost the lateral buds to grow into side branches lead in a thicker , shaggy plant . Lateral bud are scummy down on the sprig and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the last bud , ensue in a retentive , thin branch . Dormant bud may stay on inactive in the barque or fore and will only grow after the plant is cut back . Glossary : PruningNow is the favourite sentence to prune this plant .
