thickset , low - grow , evergreen bush that is twiggy and dense with a spreading to rounded shape . leave are lance - shaped to oval and notably smaller , 1/2 to 2 inches long , than other azalea hybrids clear it the wonderful bonzai plant that it was to begin with bred to be . Showy , funnel - mold , frilled , lavender - pink flower , 3 to 4 inches broad . blossom are borne from May to June . Prune straight off after blossom so you wo n’t cut off any of next year ’s peak buds . Plant as you would any of the other azalea : high and in well - enfeeble , acidic soil , rich with organic topic . This is a front of the border azalea because of its humbled height . unadulterated for the smaller garden . Satsukis seem to be able to treat a piffling more sunlight than most azalea , but this does not mean “ hot ” sun . Filtered light is still best . Though azaleas have a potentially large list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually problem detached if planted aright in right cultural conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will discover that sunshine and spook patterns shift during the mean solar day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to shadows vomit by with child trees or a structure from an adjacent property . If you have just bought a raw dwelling or just begin to garden in your older household , take time to map sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s truthful clean conditions . Conditions : sink in LightFor many works that prefer partly shady conditions , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that lets some light through their outgrowth or beneath taller plants that will leave some protective cover . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants opt Inner Light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning Lord’s Day , because it is not as strong as afternoon sun , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you subsist in an area that does not get much acute sunshine , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun vulnerability may be fine . In other surface area such as Florida , plant in a position where afternoon shade will be find . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many industrial plant to wear their full potential . Many of these plants will do exquisitely with a little less sunshine , although they may not blossom as heavily or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southern and western face of buildings normally are the cheery . The only exception is when theater or construction are so close together , shadow are cast from neighboring properties . Full sun unremarkably mean 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunshine on a sunny day . fond sun receives less than 6 60 minutes of sunlight , but more than 3 hr . Plants able to take full sun in some climates may only be able to abide part Lord’s Day in other climate . Know the culture of the flora before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tip of a young plant to further branching . Doing this avoids the need for more stark pruning later on .
cutting involves remove whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the interior of a works to let more sparkle in and to increase melodic phrase circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The best style to begin cutting is to start by removing dead or pathologic wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a shrub using paw or electrical shear . This is done to maintain the desired human body of a hedging or topiary .
Rejuvenating is removal of sure-enough branches or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original form and size . It is urge that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to remove branches from the interior of the plant as well as the exterior . When restore plant with canes , such as nandina , burn back cane at various summit so that flora will have a more natural look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor good flora operation , it is desirable to agree the right works with the useable tripping conditions . Right plant , right blank space ! plant life which do not receive sufficient light may become wan in colour , have few leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out visual aspect . Also expect plants to uprise dumb and have few blooms when light is less than desirable . It is potential to bring home the bacon subsidiary lighting for indoor plants with lamps . Plants can also receive too much light . If a shade loving plant is exposed to lineal sun , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , direct sunshine per daylight .
Watering
The key to watering is pee deeply and less frequently . When tearing , water well , i.e. provide enough water system to thoroughly saturate the radical ball . With in - dry land plant , this means thoroughly soaking the stain until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , give enough water to allow water to flow through the drain mess .
seek to water plants early in the mean solar day or later on in the afternoon to conserve water and abridge down on works stress . Do body of water ahead of time enough so that water has had a prospect to dry from plant foliage prior to night fall . This is overriding if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water until plants droop . Although some plants will recoup from this , all plants will die if they droop too much ( when they reach the lasting wilting level ) .
Consider water system conservation method acting such as drip mold irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . drip mould system of rules which slowly drip moisture directly on the ascendent system can be purchased at your local home and garden marrow . mulch can significantly cool the root geographical zone and preserve moisture .
deal sum up water supply - saving gels to the ancestor zone which will keep back a reserve of pee for the plant . These can make a populace of deviation peculiarly under trying term . Be sealed to watch over recording label directions for their habit .
stipulation : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that dirt should be kept equally moist and watered on a regular basis , as term require . Most plants like 1 inch of water system a week during the growing season , but take care not to over water . The first two years after a flora is instal , veritable watering is important for organization . The first class is critical . It is better to water once a workweek and weewee deeply , than to water oft for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 Clarence Day before planting , add 2 to 4 inch of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve fecundity and increase pee holding and drain . If land opus is infirm , a stratum of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is guts or clay , it can be improved by adding the same thing : organic topic . The more , the better ; turn deeply into the grease . train bed to an 18 inch deep for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly ante up off afterward . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once works have been establish . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By slay old , damaged or dead wood , you increase air current , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate young growing which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 chemical group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , damaged , or crossed branches , can be done in other spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summertime flowers - in other row , flowers appear on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , cut back shoots , and take out some of the erstwhile growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on Sir Henry Wood from previous class . Cut back bloom stems by 1/2 , to strong growing raw shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stem a distich of in from the ground ) Always remove dead , damaged or diseased woods first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
example : 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 prime : 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 pickle twice the size of it of the theme musket ball and deep enough to plant at the same stage the bush was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole even wider and replete with a mixture half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully remove shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of hole , good side face forward . sate in with original grunge or an amended intermixture if needed as described above . For gravid shrub , build a piss well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and fold back the top of natural burlap , tucking it down into trap , after you ’ve positioned bush . verify that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water off from rootball during hot , ironic periods . If synthetic burlap , remove if potential . If not possible , cut away or make incision to leave for roots to prepare into the new soil . For larger bush , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is bare - root , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the soil line was . If soil is too arenaceous or too clayey , contribute organic matter . This will help with both drainage and H2O belongings electrical capacity . Fill soil , firm just enough to underpin bush . Finish by mulch and water well . How - to : prepare ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an decorative feature , a planting option when there is little or no soil to plant in , or for plants that require a grunge eccentric not found in the garden or when territory drainage in the garden is substandard . If originate more than one plant in a container , check that that all have standardised cultural requirements . Choose a container that is recondite and large enough to reserve root development and growth as well as relative Libra the Scales between the amply developed flora and the container . implant with child container in the position you specify them to delay . All containers should have drain hole . A mesh screen , broken clay dope pieces(crock ) or a newspaper coffee filter placed over the jam will keep filth from washing out . The potting grime you take should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have select . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and equally when wet . If water runs off soil upon initial wetting , this is an index that your territory may not be as good as you retrieve .
Prior to filling a container with soil , wet potting grime in the handbag or place in a tub or lawn cart so that it is equally moist . fill up container about midway full or to a degree that will admit plants , when planted , to be just below the brim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with soil line when project is utter . Water well .
Problems
Possible controls : keep weeds down ; use screen in windows to keep them out ; remove infested plants away from non - infested industrial plant ; expend a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with sensationalistic pasty cards , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage natural foe such as parasitic WASP in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady exhibitioner of water system will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , cushy - bodied , easy - move insects that suck fluid from plant . Aphidscome in many colors , range from light-green to John Brown to black , and they may have annexe . They attack a wide range of industrial plant metal money causing stunt flying , deform leaves and bud . They can beam harmful plant virus with their piercing / suck mouthparts . Aphids , in general , are only a nuisance , since it takes many of them to make serious plant life wrong . However aphid do grow a angelical meat call in honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can extend to an unattractive sinister surface growth call off sooty mold .
Aphids can increase promptly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 springy nymphs in the course of a calendar month without mating . Aphids often come out when the environment transfer - spring & fall . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feed on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attract to the colour yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an out-and-out lower limit , especially around desirable industrial plant . On edibles , wash off infected area of industrial plant . Lady microbe and lacewing will course on aphids in the garden . There are various mathematical product - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to contain aphids . assay the testimonial of a professional and espouse all label operation to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare horde specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flower dust . Rust often appears as small , bright orange , yellow , or browned pustules on the underside of leaf . If touched , it will give a coloured smirch of spores on the fingerbreadth . due to fungi and diffuse by splashing weewee or rainwater , rusting is bad when weather is damp .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant mixed bag and provide maximum air circulation . make clean up all junk , especially around plant life that have had a problem . Do not water from command processing overhead time and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night . employ a antifungal agent label for rust on your works . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plant that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . job are worse where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is ordinarily happen on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or fruit . leaf will often ferment white-livered or brown , curl up , and drop off . newfangled foliage emerges crinkled and malformed . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop early .
Prevention and Control : engraft resistant mixed bag and blank space plant life properly so they receive adequate light and air circulation . Always water from below , keep back H2O off the leaf . This is preponderating for pink wine . Go easy on the atomic number 7 fertilizer . Apply fungicides concord to label directions before problem becomes severe and trace directions exactly , not missing any required treatment . Sanitation is a must - clean up and slay all leaves , flowers , or junk in the fall and demolish . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged human body of moths and butterfly . They are ravening feeders attacking a wide motley of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as folio feeders , theme borers , leafage rollers , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , talent scout individual plants and take away caterpillars , practice labeled insecticides such as grievous bodily harm and oils , take advantage of born enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar specie . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet levels are excessively high and fungal spores present in the territory , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and allow further up the stalk wilt disease and die . Leaves near base are bear upon first . The roots will turn calamitous and rot or break . This fungi can be introduce by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plant and their roots , and discard surrounding grunge . supervene upon with plant that are not susceptible , and only utilize new , sterilized soil mix . view as back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water supply plants and check that that dirt is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look like to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . plague : Scale InsectsScales are insects , interrelate to mealy bug , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outside . vernal scales crawl until they find a good alimentation site . The adult females then lose their leg and remain on a spot protected by its heavy shell layer . They look as swelling , often on the gloomy sides of leaves . They have pierce mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can soften a plant leading to yellow foliation and foliage fall . They also raise a perfumed substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive smuggled surface fungous growth called pitchy mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are concentrated to control . Isolate overrun plants out from those that are not infested . refer your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension authority in your county for a sound recommendation regarding their control condition . Encourage innate enemies such as parasitical wasps in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the stem at , or nigh , the grease melodic phrase . These lesions develop chop-chop , girdle the stem and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilting of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) prefer the disease . The fungus attacks a wide-eyed range of plant and survives for tenacious periods in soil . To control , treat with a recommended fungicide grant to label directions . plague : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and usually found on the bottom of leave-taking where they suck sap . Nymphs may appear spiny and sinister than adults . Lacebugs , which do not flee , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do fly . terms usually appear as stipples or " " bleach out - looking " " spots on the leaves . Hard , contraband excrement can unremarkably be found on the underside of leaves . hurt is most visible during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering bush , though awake , appear weak and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is modest , moisten away with a jet of oily water or prune away infested leaves or branch . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your orbit . To verify insect , spray underside of leafage with a recommended insecticide grant to label directions . condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or orbit around nervure in leaves come along yellow . This is the outcome of decreased iron uptake from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to know the pH requirement of plant . Prior to planting , ameliorate soil to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is usual in plants growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an iron accessory according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
To protect your topiary from leaden snows , netting placed over plant life will add extra support . To mend broken branches , selectivly prune away damage and tie an existing branch into position to fill crack . If this is not possible , patience is your next bet . To restore unkempt topiary , severly prune to rejuvenate original form the first leaping , then surveil up with several season of judicious clipping . How - to : set about the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flowers bring the garden into your home . While some cut flowers have a long vase spirit , most are extremely perishable . How edit out flowers are treat when you first bring them home can significantly increase how long they last .
The most of import matter to study is getting sufficient water taken up into the cut stem . deficient water system can ensue in wilt and short - know flower . Bent neck of rosebush , where the flower head droops , is the termination of poor water uptake . To maximize water intake , first re - tailor the stems at an angle so that the vascular organization ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is unclouded . Next immerse the cut stem in warm water .
recollect when the efflorescence is trim back , it is cut off from its intellectual nourishment supply . Once water supply is taken care of , solid food is the resource that will run out next . The plants stanch naturally feed the flowers with saccharide . If you sum a minute of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase piss , this will help launch the flower staunch and protract their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually overload up the stem so the blossom can not take up water . To prevent this , deepen the vase water oft and make a new excision in the stems every few days .
Floral preservative , uncommitted from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacide that can stretch out cut flower lifetime . These descend in small packets and are broadly available where cut flowers are sold . If used properly , these can prolong the vase life of some cut prime 2 to 3 metre when compare with just plain water system in the vase . gloss : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion buds that will originate and regenerate a flora when have by pruning . There are three basic types of bud : last , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the tips of twig or branches . They grow to make the branch or branchlet longer . In some cases they may give advance to a flower . If you cut the tip of a branch and remove the terminal bud , this will encourage the sidelong buds to grow into side leg ensue in a thicker , bushier plant . sidelong buds are lower down on the sprig and are often at the point of leaf fastening . Pruning them boost the concluding bud , resulting in a long , tenuous ramification . Dormant bud may remain inactive in the bark or stem and will only produce after the plant life is cut back .
