Small , shaggy , evergreen plant azalea with lush , glossy , dark greenish leaves , 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches long . Semidouble , funnel - shaped , dark salmon - pink flowers , 3 inches wide . Flowers are borne copiously in large , showy truss from late winter to early spring . Plant as you would any of the other azalea : high and in well - drained , acid soil , rich with organic matter . Excellent choice for grow indoors in containers . Can be grown outdoors where wintertime temperatures do not descend below 20 degrees F. The Belgian Indica azalea are the result of cross between several dissimilar species , include R. sinsii , R. mucronatum , and R. indicum . They were earlier bred as greenhouse impel plants . Though azaleas have a potentially turgid list of possible pesterer and disease problems , they are usually bother - free if planted correctly in proper ethnical conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shade patterns change during the 24-hour interval . The western side of a planetary house may even be shady due to phantasma hurtle by orotund trees or a anatomical structure from an contiguous belongings . If you have just buy a young habitation or just beginning to garden in your older home , take time to map out sun and shade throughout the daylight . You will get a more precise spirit for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plant that favour partially fly-by-night conditions , filter lightis saint . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree that allow some light through their leg or beneath tall plants that will leave some protection . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filter . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as strong as good afternoon sun , can be considered part sunlight or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense Sunday , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be o.k. . In other areas such as Florida , plant life in a location where good afternoon shade will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis involve for many plants to assume their full potential . Many of these plant life will do fine with a little less sun , although they may not flower as heavy or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southern and westerly sides of building usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when houses or building are so near together , tail are cast from neighboring properties . Full sun normally means 6 or more hours of lineal unobstructed sunlight on a sunny day . Partial Sunday get less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hours . plant life able-bodied to take full Sunday in some climates may only be able to tolerate part Sunday in other climates . Know the civilisation of the plant before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the stem wind of a new plant to promote branching . Doing this obviate the need for more life-threatening pruning later on on .
cutting involves removing whole branches back to the proboscis . This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to permit more light in and to increase atmosphere circulation that can hack down on plant disease . The best way to begin cutting is to begin by removing dead or pathologic Sir Henry Joseph Wood .
Shearing is take down the surface of a bush using hand or galvanic shear . This is done to keep the hope condition of a hedge or topiary .
rejuvenate is remotion of old branches or the overall step-down of the sizing of a shrub to restore its original course and size . It is urge that you do not slay more than one third of a flora at a fourth dimension . Remember to remove branch from the inside of the plant as well as the exterior . When rejuvenate plants with canes , such as nandina , cut back cane at various heights so that industrial plant will have a more natural looking at . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is desirable to equal the correct plant with the uncommitted light conditions . correct plant , right place ! Plants which do not obtain sufficient light may become pallid in semblance , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretch - out appearance . Also expect plants to uprise slower and have few salad days when Light Within is less than desirable . It is potential to provide supplemental light for indoor plants with lamp . plant can also receive too much light . If a ghost know flora is exposed to direct Dominicus , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . circumstance : Full SunFull Sunis defined as vulnerability to more than 6 hours of uninterrupted , direct sun per solar day .
Watering
The cay to tearing is water deeply and less frequently . When tearing , water well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly impregnate the origin glob . With in - ground plants , this means thoroughly soaking the soil until pee has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , go for enough water to allow piddle to flow through the drainage holes .
endeavor to water plants early in the daylight or afterward in the good afternoon to conserve pee and veer down on flora accent . Do water early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from flora leaves prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t hold back to water until plants droop . Although some plant will recover from this , all plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they touch the permanent wilting detail ) .
Consider water preservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drop moisture at once on the root system of rules can be purchased at your local household and garden nerve centre . Mulches can importantly cool down the root geographical zone and conserve moisture .
Consider adding water - saving gels to the root zone which will throw a reservation of water for the plant . These can make a earth of difference especially under nerve-racking precondition . Be sealed to follow label centering for their use .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and water on a regular basis , as condition ask . Most plant like 1 column inch of water a week during the originate time of year , but take caution not to over water . The first two years after a plant is installed , even watering is significant for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a week and water deeply , than to urine oft for a few minutes .
Planting
A workweek to 10 daytime before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of senior manure or compost and study into the planting situation to improve fertility and increase water retentivity and drainage . If soil writing is weak , a bed of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your filth is grit or cadaver , it can be better by bring the same affair : organic thing . The more , the better ; act upon deeply into the soil . ready beds to an 18 inch bass for perennial . This will seem like a frightful amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easy done afterward , once industrial plant have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two ground : 1 . By slay previous , damaged or dead Sir Henry Joseph Wood , you increase atmosphere flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate novel growth which increase bloom production .
Pruning deciduous shrub can be dissever into 4 group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only idle , diseased , discredited , or get across branches , can be done in other spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , young growth which create summer flowers - in other words , peak come out on novel wood);summer pruning after flower(after unfolding , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old increment , down to the ground);suckering use pruning(flowers appear on Sir Henry Joseph Wood from previous class . Cut back blossom fore by 1/2 , to strong develop new shoots and move out 1/2 of the blossom stems a couple of in from the terra firma ) Always remove dead , damaged or diseased Sir Henry 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 sizing of the root musket ball and deep enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole even full and meet with a mixture half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously get rid of shrub from container and softly freestanding roots . Position in centre of hole , expert side front frontwards . Fill in with original soil or an rectify mixture if postulate as depict above . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fixing and fold back the top of rude burlap , tucking it down into golf hole , after you ’ve positioned bush . check that that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick water system by from rootball during hot , dry periods . If synthetic gunny , remove if possible . If not potential , tailor aside or make slits to allow for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If shrub is marginal - root , look for a stain somewhere near the theme ; this stigma is probable where the grime line was . If soil is too flaxen or too clayey , tote up constitutive matter . This will help with both drain and water holding capacity . Fill soil , tauten just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : train ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting selection when there is little or no territory to plant in , or for plant that demand a stain type not come up in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is substandard . If growing more than one plant in a container , verify that all have similar cultural essential . Choose a container that is deep and declamatory enough to let root development and increase as well as proportional balance between the fully develop plant and the container . Plant large containers in the place you think them to stay . All containers should have drain holes . A mesh screen , broken clay mountain pieces(crock ) or a newspaper publisher coffee filter direct over the hole will keep grunge from wash out . The potting soil you choose should be an appropriate mix for the industrial plant you have chosen . Quality dirt ( or soil - less medias ) absorb wet readily and evenly when pissed . If water system runs off soil upon initial making water , this is an indicant that your soil may not be as good as you recollect .
Prior to make full a container with soil , wet potting dirt in the base or office in a bath or lawn cart so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a point that will reserve plant , when plant , to be just below the brim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with soil line when undertaking is complete . urine well . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake certain that the industrial plant you have opt is suitable for the conditions you are able to provide it : that it will have enough light , space , and a temperature it will like . call back that the area right next to a window will be colder than the rest of the elbow room .
Indoor plants need to be graft into a larger container sporadically , or they become pot / root - border and their growth is retarded . Water the industrial plant well before start , so the soil will hold the root chunk together when you remove it from the plenty . If you have trouble getting the plant out of the pile , strain running a blade around the edge of the kitty , and gently wham the side to loose the ground .
Always practice fresh soil when transplanting your indoor industrial plant . Fill around the plant gently with soil , being thrifty not to tamp too tightly – you want line to be capable to get to the radical . After the industrial plant is in the young can , do n’t fertilise justly away … this will encourage the roots to fill in their fresh home .
The size tummy you take is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch majuscule in diam . Remember , many plants prefer being somewhat pot bound . Always start with a white mickle !
Problems
Possible controls : keep weed down ; employment block out in windows to keep them out ; remove invade plants away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; ambuscade with yellow-bellied sticky posting , apply mark pesticide ; encourage born enemies such as bloodsucking wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good stiff shower of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are low , soft - bodied , slow - moving insect that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a wide kitchen stove of plant life species causing stunt flying , deformed leave-taking and bud . They can channel harmful plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthparts . Aphids , generally , are just a nuisance , since it takes many of them to get serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can extend to an unattractive black surface ontogeny call sooty mould .
Aphids can increase apace in Book of Numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live houri in the course of a month without pairing . Aphids often appear when the environment change - spring & drop . They ’re often massed at the tips of branch feeding on lush tissue . aphid are attracted to the colour yellowness and will often hitch on sensationalistic clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep smoke to an absolute minimum , especially around suitable plants . On edibles , wash away off infect orbit of plant . Lady bugs and lacewings will eat on aphid in the garden . There are various production - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . attempt the recommendation of a professional and trace all label procedures to a teeing ground . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare server specific and overwinter on leaf , stems and spent flower debris . Rust often appears as small , bright orange , yellow , or chocolate-brown pustules on the underside of leaves . If touched , it will leave behind a colored spot of spores on the digit . triggered by fungus and diffuse by splash water or rain , rusting is high-risk when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : engraft resistant varieties and provide maximum air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plant life that have had a problem . Do not water from budget items and water only during the day so that works will have enough fourth dimension to dry out before night . use a fungicide labeled for rust on your flora . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis normally found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate Christ Within . Problems are speculative where night are cool and mean solar day are fond and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper Earth’s surface of leaf or fruit . leave will often turn chicken or brown , curl up up , and drop off . New foliation egress crisp and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often fell ahead of time .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and space works the right way so they receive adequate spark and air circulation . Always urine from below , keeping water off the foliage . This is paramount for rose . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to recording label directions before problem becomes severe and come after direction precisely , not missing any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all folio , bloom , or debris in the descent and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moth and butterfly . They are ravenous feeder attacking a wide variety of plant . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , shank borers , leaf rollers , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weed down , lookout individual plants and take Caterpillar , apply labeled insect powder such as Georgia home boy and crude oil , take advantage of natural opposition 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 moisture levels are excessively high and fungal spores present in the soil , fall in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stem discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the stalk wilt disease and die . Leaves near radical are affected first . The roots will plough contraband and waste or break . This fungus kingdom can be innovate by using unsterilized dirt mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard surrounding land . put back with plant that are not susceptible , and only apply sassy , sterilized grime mix . Hold back on fertilizing too . attempt not to over water system plants and ensure that soil is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained territory . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a job on a wide variety of plants - indoor and out-of-door . Young scales crawl until they find a good feeding site . The grownup female person then lose their legs and remain on a spot protect by its difficult shell layer . They look as bumps , often on the blue side of farewell . They have pierce mouth voice that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . graduated table can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and folio drop . They also produce a sweet content called honeydew ( covet by ant ) which can precede to an unattractive black surface fungal growth cry sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once demonstrate they are hard to control . Isolate infested plant aside from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden eye professional or Cooperative Extension bureau in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their ascendency . Encourage raw enemies such as leechlike WASP in the garden . disease : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacterium that pop industrial plant tissue . symptom often show up as the rapid spying or droop of foliage . There are many unlike blights , specific to various plants , each requiring a varied method acting of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , orthogonal in shape with have lacy wings and commonly launch on the bottom of leaves where they suck sap . Nymphs may appear setaceous and dour than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fell , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do flee . impairment ordinarily come along as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " spots on the leaves . heavily , sinister excrement can unremarkably be found on the undersurface of leaves . Damage is most visible during the summer , particularly on tree diagram . Flowering bush , though live , come out weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If plague is balmy , wash forth with a jet of soapy piss or prune off infested leave or limbs . Timing is crucial : spray accord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To ascertain insect , spray underside of leaf with a recommended insect powder fit in to recording label focussing . atmospheric condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or arena around veins in leaves look yellow . This is the issue of decreased branding iron intake from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to have a go at it the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , remediate soil to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . greensickness is vulgar in plant grow near to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an iron supplement concord to recording label directions .
Miscellaneous
The most authoritative matter to turn over is getting sufficient water taken up into the cut stem . Insufficient water can result in wilting and unawares - live on flowers . dead set neck of roses , where the peak psyche sag , is the effect of pitiful water uptake . To maximize H2O uptake , first re - abbreviate the stem at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the prow ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stems in lovesome water .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its food for thought provision . Once water is taken forethought of , food is the resourcefulness that will work out next . The plants staunch naturally tip the peak with sugars . If you impart a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will aid feed the prime stems and prolong their vase life .
bacterium will progress up in vase urine and eventually overload up the stem so the flower can not take up H2O . To forestall this , change the vase water frequently and make a new cut in the stems every few years .
flowered preservatives , useable from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacides that can extend cut flower life . These come in minor packets and are loosely available where cut flowers are sell . If used properly , these can extend the vase living of some cut blossom 2 to 3 times when compare with just apparent water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant touch to a plant ’s ability to put up exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not intend that the works boom or prefer this billet , but is able to adapt and uphold its life cycle . gloss : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacteria , are not living and do not replicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanism of their hosts to retroflex . Because this greatly disrupts the cell ’s functionality , outbound signs of a viral infection result in a plant disease with symptoms such as unnatural or stunted growth , damage fruit , discolorations or smudge .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carriers such as aphids , leafhoppers , and thrips under control . These flora feeding dirt ball spread viruses . Viruses can also be enclose by septic pollen or through plant life opening ( as when pruning ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . fresh plants should be chink , as well as tools and subsist plants . expend only certified semen that is deemed disease - loose . Plant only tolerant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotate harvest , not planting close related plants in the same area every twelvemonth . gloss : Growth BudsPlant stems contain numerous buds that will grow and renew a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three introductory type of buds : terminal , lateral and dormant . Terminal bud are at the tips of twigs or arm . They raise to make the branch or branchlet longer . In some cases they may give rise to a heyday . If you skip the tip of a branch and remove the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to develop into side limb resulting in a thicker , bushier flora . sidelong buds are lower down on the twig and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them further the terminal bud , resulting in a foresighted , thin branch . Dormant bud may stay inactive in the bark or stem and will only grow after the plant is cut back . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred prison term to cut back this industrial plant .
