Azaleas are coming into their own now and it is time to visit
your local garden center to pick up just the right plants for your
garden. The azalea has always been favored but many gardeners have
not had the success they should with this beauty.
Azaleas are coming into their own now and it is time to visit your local garden center to pick up just the right plants for your garden. The azalea has always been favored but many gardeners have not had the success they should with this beauty. In areas with alkaline soil, soil preparation is a must. Azaleas thrive in acidic soils. Some soils are just the right amount of acidity but they have too much clay so the soil retains water and “drowns” the roots of the azaleas because there is very little air available.
Location is an important factor because some azaleas favor more sun than others. The Southern Indica group of azaleas is one of those that can and do handle the sun the best.
These plants grow larger on the whole than the shade types and with few exceptions the flowers are singles. The Belgian Indicas are sold as shade azaleas and have many double flowers.
These beauties want the same planting medium as described but want a shady location. This can include a goodly amount of filtered light.
The use of azaleas in the landscaping has become a popular thing. In remembering that the sun azaleas become very large but are not really fast growers, you can either plant them far enough apart to be correct and wait for the bare spots to fill in or plant them close and prune as they grow. Oddly enough, as delicate as the azalea looks and often thought to be, it can be easily transplanted even when in bloom.
Another point often overlooked in choosing azaleas is the leaf, its size, color and texture. The difference is more obvious when the plant is out of bloom and has become a “landscape foliage plant”. But perhaps the most difficult decision is the color of the flowers.
