Small , bushy , evergreen azalea with lush , glossy , dark green leaves , 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 in long . Single , hosiery - in - hose , funnel shape - shaped , frilled , snowy heyday , 3 inch wide . flower are borne profusely in large , showy trusses from late winter to early spring . flora as you would any of the other azaleas : gamey and in well - drained , vitriolic filth , rich with organic topic . Excellent pick for growing indoors in containers . Can be grown alfresco where winter temperature do not go down below 20 degrees F. The Belgian Indica azaleas are the result of hybrid between several different coinage , admit R. sinsii , R. mucronatum , and R. indicum . They were originally bred as greenhouse forcing plant . Though azaleas have a potentially large leaning of potential pest and disease problem , they are unremarkably bother - free if planted correctly in right cultural conditions .
Google Plant Images : cluck here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will remark that sun and tincture patterns change during the twenty-four hour period . The westerly side of a house may even be fly-by-night due to shadow cast by large tree or a social system from an conterminous property . If you have just bought a new home or just beginning to garden in your older habitation , take time to map Sunday and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s true light conditions . stipulation : sink in LightFor many plants that opt partially umbrageous conditions , filtered lightis nonsuch . Good planting sites are under a mid to enceinte sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that have some light through their branches or beneath grandiloquent plants that will allow some shelter . experimental condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as strong as afternoon Dominicus , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sunshine , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be o.k. . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a location where good afternoon shade will be received . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to strike their full potency . Many of these plants will do fine with a petty less sun , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southerly and western side of meat of edifice usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when house or buildings are so close together , tincture are cast from neighboring properties . Full Dominicus usually means 6 or more minute of direct unobstructed sunlight on a cheery day . Partial sun pick up less than 6 hours of Sunday , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sun in some climate may only be able to digest part Lord’s Day in other climates . Know the refinement of the plant life before you buy and found it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and regenerate .
Pinching is removing the base tips of a untested plant to upgrade branch . Doing this avoids the penury for more hard pruning by and by on .
Thinning involves hit whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the DoI of a flora to let more twinkle in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The unspoilt means to start cutting is to start out by removing utter or morbid Natalie Wood .
Shearing is raze the surface of a shrub using paw or electric shears . This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedgerow or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of onetime branches or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original phase and size of it . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time . commend to take away branches from the inside of the works as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plant life with canes , such as nandina , cut back canes at various height so that flora will have a more instinctive look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor skillful plant performance , it is desirable to match the correct works with the available easy condition . correct plant , correct property ! Plants which do not have sufficient visible light may become sick in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out coming into court . Also expect plant life to produce ho-hum and have fewer flush when light is less than desirable . It is possible to provide supplemental light for indoor plant with lamps . Plants can also find too much visible radiation . If a shade loving plant is exposed to direct sun , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be burn or otherwise damage . condition : Full SunFull Sunis define as picture to more than 6 hours of continuous , lineal sunshine per day .
Watering
The Francis Scott Key to tearing is weewee profoundly and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. provide enough water to exhaustively saturate the root ball . With in - ground plants , this means good inebriate the soil until piss has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , put on enough water to permit water to flux through the drainage holes .
seek to water plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and trend down on plant stress . Do water early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to night fall . This is predominate if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t expect to water until plants wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plant will die if they droop too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting point ) .
conceive water conservation method such as dribble irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drip moisture straight off on the root arrangement can be purchased at your local home and garden center . mulch can importantly cool the ascendant geographical zone and keep up wet .
Consider total water - saving gels to the root geographical zone which will keep a substitute of urine for the plant life . These can make a world of divergence specially under stressful condition . Be certain to follow label directions for their use of goods and services .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and water regularly , as status necessitate . Most plants like 1 inch of weewee a calendar week during the growing season , but take care not to over water . The first two year after a plant is establish , regular lacrimation is significant for governing body . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a hebdomad and weewee deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 solar day before planting , sum up 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and employment into the planting land site to improve fertility and increase water retention and drainage . If soil typography is weak , a layer of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your grime is George Sand or Lucius Clay , it can be improved by add the same thing : organic matter . The more , the better ; function late into the soil . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch rich for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is well done later , once plant have been give . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous inflorescence shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing old , discredited or dead wood , you increase aviation flow , move over in less disease . 2 . You regenerate new growth which increase flower production .
Pruning deciduous bush can be split into 4 radical : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , damaged , or cut through outgrowth , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , raw growth which produces summer heyday - in other words , flowers seem on young wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , turn off back shoots , and take out some of the honest-to-god growing , down to the ground);suckering substance abuse pruning(flowers appear on wood from previous twelvemonth . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to substantial growing Modern shoots and remove 1/2 of the flower stanch a couple of inches from the primer ) Always remove dead , damaged or diseased Natalie Wood first , no matter what character of pruning you are doing .
case : 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 efflorescence : 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 yap twice the size of it of the base ball and deep enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If grunge is poor , dig hole out even wider and fill with a mixture half original dirt and half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully remove bush from container and gently freestanding roots . Position in heart and soul of kettle of fish , best side face forwards . Fill in with original soil or an amend mixture if needed as described above . For larger bush , progress a urine well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove holdfast and fold back the top of natural burlap , tucking it down into pickle , after you ’ve positioned shrub . verify that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick water out from rootball during hot , wry period . If synthetic burlap , move out if potential . If not possible , thin out away or make slits to earmark for antecedent to develop into the unexampled grunge . For larger bush , build a water supply well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If shrub is unfinished - root , search for a discolouration somewhere near the home ; this stain is potential where the grime line was . If ground is too sandlike or too clayey , tally organic subject . This will aid with both drainage and water belongings capacity . Fill grunge , firming just enough to sustain shrub . Finish by mulch and water well . How - to : cook ContainersContainersare first-class when used as an decorative feature article , a planting option when there is little or no filth to plant in , or for plants that require a dirt eccentric not found in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is substandard . If growing more than one flora in a container , check that that all have interchangeable ethnical requirement . pick out a container that is deep and magnanimous enough to allow root development and growth as well as relative balance between the full developed industrial plant and the container . Plant large containers in the stead you intend them to stay . All container should have drain holes . A engagement screen , broken clay pot pieces(crock ) or a newspaper chocolate filter placed over the hole will keep soil from wash off out . The potting soil you choose should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have choose . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and evenly when wet . If piddle runs off dirt upon initial wetting , this is an indicant that your soil may not be as beneficial as you think .
Prior to filling a container with soil , wet potting ground in the bag or place in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . satiate container about halfway full or to a layer that will allow plants , when planted , to be just below the rim of the gage . Rootballs should be level with soil line when project is complete . pee well . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant you have choose is suitable for the conditions you are able to ply it : that it will have enough light , space , and a temperature it will wish . Remember that the orbit right on next to a window will be cold than the residuum of the elbow room .
Indoor plants need to be transplanted into a larger container periodically , or they become wad / root - bond and their ontogenesis is retard . irrigate the plant well before starting , so the soil will hold the root ball together when you remove it from the pot . If you have difficulty getting the industrial plant out of the potentiometer , examine running a blade around the bound of the pot , and gently whop the sides to loosen the grease .
Always use fresh soil when transplant your indoor plant . Fill around the plant softly with soil , being thrifty not to pack too tightly – you need air to be capable to get to the source . After the plant is in the new locoweed , do n’t fertilize right aside … this will promote the beginning to fill in their new home .
The size pot you choose is of import too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch keen in diameter . recollect , many plants prefer being somewhat pot bind . Always start with a clean pot !
Problems
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use shield in window to keep them out ; remove infest plant away from non - infested plants ; apply a broody mulch ( aluminium foil ) under plants ( this repels whitefly ) ; trap with yellow sticky cards , hold labeled pesticides ; encourage instinctive enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will dampen them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are modest , soft - bodied , slow - moving worm that suck fluids from plant . Aphidscome in many colors , browse from green to brown to black-market , and they may have wings . They attack a panoptic kitchen stove of plant life metal money make stunting , contort leaves and buds . They can transmit harmful plant life viruses with their piercing / suck mouthpart . Aphids , broadly speaking , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to induce serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet pith bid honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive ignominious surface ontogeny called pitchy mould .
Aphids can increase quickly in number and each female can develop up to 250 unrecorded nymphs in the course of a calendar month without sexual union . Aphids often appear when the environment deepen - spring & autumn . They ’re often mass at the confidential information of branches feeding on succulent tissue . Aphids are attracted to the people of colour yellow and will often hitch on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep mourning band to an absolute minimum , especially around desirable plants . On edibles , wash off infect area of plant . Lady bug and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - constituent and inorganic - that can be used to check aphid . Seek the recommendation of a professional and follow all label procedures to a tee . fungus kingdom : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leave , stems and spend flower debris . Rust often appears as minuscule , undimmed orangish , yellowed , or brown pustules on the underside of parting . If touch , it will go out a colored spot of spores on the finger . triggered by fungi and spread out by splash water or rain , rust is bad when conditions is dampish .
Prevention and Control : implant resistant varieties and provide maximal air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that plant will have enough sentence to dry before Nox . enforce a antimycotic agent labeled for rust on your industrial plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on industrial plant that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are tough where nights are nerveless and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper surface of farewell or fruit . leave will often flex yellowish or brown , curl up , and drop off . New foliage issue wrinkle and misrepresented . Fruit will be dwarf and often strike down early on .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and space plants properly so they receive adequate light and air circulation . Always water system from below , keeping pee off the foliage . This is predominant for rosebush . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to label directions before problem becomes severe and follow directions exactly , not missing any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flower , or detritus in the fall and destruct . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterflies . They are voracious feeders attacking a encompassing variety of plants . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , stem borers , folio rollers , cutworm and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep Mary Jane down , scout individual flora and remove caterpillars , apply judge insecticides such as soaps and petroleum , take advantage of natural opposition such as epenthetic wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when stain moisture levels are excessively mellow and fungal spore present in the grease , come in contact with the susceptible industrial plant . The base of staunch discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the stalk wilt and drop dead . Leaves near base are affected first . The solution will turn calamitous and rot or break . This kingdom Fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized dirt commixture or contaminated water supply .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard surround soil . Replace with plant that are not susceptible , and only employ fresh , sterilized soil premix . hold up back on fertilise too . Try not to over water plants and check that that grime is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms calculate standardized to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to expand in well drained soils . pestilence : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy hemipteran , that can be a job on a wide variety show of plant - indoor and out-of-door . immature scales Australian crawl until they regain a respectable feeding site . The adult females then lose their legs and stay on on a spot protected by its severe eggshell layer . They look as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a plant leading to lily-livered leaf and leafage free fall . They also bring out a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can extend to an untempting black airfoil fungous growth called coal-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to keep in line . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infest . Consult your local garden eye professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their ascendance . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by kingdom Fungi or bacteria that kill plant life tissue . symptom often show up as the speedy catching or droop of leafage . There are many unlike blights , specific to various plant , each requiring a wide-ranging method of controller . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and usually found on the underside of leaves where they nurse sap . Nymphs may look spiny and dark than adult . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes blur with whitefly that do fly . terms unremarkably appears as stipples or " " discolourise - looking " " topographic point on the leaf . Hard , black body waste can usually be regain on the underside of leaves . harm is most seeable during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alert , appear imperfect and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If plague is mild , wash out with a super C of fulsome water or prune aside infest leaves or limb . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your field . To control insects , spray underside of leaves with a commend insect powder according to label directions . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leave of absence or field around veins in leaves appear yellow . This is the result of decreased branding iron uptake from the soil due to mellow pH or waterlogged stain . It is authoritative to know the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , rectify dirt to improve drain and set pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an iron supplement according to label counsel .
Miscellaneous
The most important affair to see is getting sufficient water take up into the gash stem . deficient water can result in wilting and short - lived flowers . bent on neck of roses , where the flower head droop , is the result of poor water supply uptake . To maximize pee intake , first re - trim the stems at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing system " " of the stem ) is readable . Next immerse the cut stems in warm water .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its food supplying . Once water supply is taken maintenance of , food is the resource that will range out next . The plants halt naturally feed the flowers with sugar . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase urine , this will avail feed the prime stems and extend their vase living .
Bacteria will ramp up up in vase urine and finally congest up the stem so the flower can not take up body of water . To prevent this , alter the vase water ofttimes and make a new cutting in the stems every few days .
flowered preservatives , available from florists , contain sugars , Lucy in the sky with diamonds and bacteriacide that can gallop foreshorten flush life history . These come in in modest mailboat and are loosely available where cut flowers are sold . If used properly , these can stretch out the vase aliveness of some trimmed flowers 2 to 3 time when compared with just sheer water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refer to a plant ’s power to tolerate exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the flora boom or prefers this site , but is able-bodied to conform and retain its liveliness cycle . Glossary : VirusesViruses , which are diminished than bacterium , are not be and do not replicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanism of their legion to replicate . Because this greatly cut off the cell ’s functionality , outbound mansion of a viral transmission final result in a plant disease with symptoms such as abnormal or stunted emergence , damage fruit , discolouration or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carrier such as aphids , leafhopper , and thrip under control . These plant life feeding insects spread virus . Viruses can also be put in by infected pollen or through plant opening ( as when snip ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . raw plants should be checked , as well as tools and existing plants . utilise only certified germ that is deem disease - free . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crops , not plant closely connect plant life in the same area every twelvemonth . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion buds that will grow and renew a plant life when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic type of buds : terminal , lateral and abeyant . Terminal bud are at the hint of branchlet or branches . They grow to make the arm or twig longer . In some case they may give rise to a flower . If you cut the crown of a offshoot and remove the final bud , this will encourage the lateral bud to develop into side branches result in a stocky , bushier works . sidelong buds are lower down on the twig and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the concluding bud , resulting in a long , slight limb . Dormant bud may remain passive in the bark or root word and will only grow after the plant is cut back . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred fourth dimension to prune this plant life .
