The Occidentale Hybrids are the product primarily of R. occidentale , the Western Azalea aboriginal to the Pacific Coast . This species and its cultivars are seldom successful in the easterly U.S. , but are an fantabulous alternative for a West Coast garden . Tall , upright , deciduous shrub that is cold hardy down to -12 degrees F. Leaves are elliptic to oblong , sheeny , medium green , 1 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches long . Leaf bottom are glaucous . Flowers are borne in large , showy trusses in mid - outflow just after the folio come forth . The deciduous azalea is know for superb fall color and unexcelled springtime bloom . It is normally less picky about soil condition , though it too prefers well - drain and acid conditions . Though azalea have a potentially large tilt of potential pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble free if establish right in proper cultural consideration .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will detect that Lord’s Day and shade patterns modify during the day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to darkness cast by bombastic trees or a social organisation from an adjacent property . If you have just bought a new home or just beginning to garden in your older nursing home , take time to map sun and wraith throughout the twenty-four hours . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s honest sluttish condition . condition : Filtered LightFor many plants that prefer partially umbrageous condition , filtered lightis apotheosis . Good planting sites are under a mid to enceinte sized tree that allow some twinkle through their branches or beneath tall plants that will provide some protection . experimental condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer Light Within that is filtered . Sunlight , though not verbatim , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as inviolable as afternoon sun , can be consider part sun or part ghost . If you be in an area that does not get much vivid sunlight , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun vulnerability may be hunky-dory . In other surface area such as Florida , plant in a location where good afternoon tint will be received . circumstance : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to strike their full potential . Many of these plants will do delicately with a little less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavily or their leafage as vibrant . orbit on the southerly and westerly sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when planetary house or buildings are so close together , shadows are chuck from neighboring properties . Full sun usually intend 6 or more minute of direct unobstructed sunlight on a cheery Clarence Day . fond sun encounter less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sunshine in some climates may only be able to suffer part sunlight in other climates . have it away the culture of the plant before you bribe and establish it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the stalk tips of a new plant to advertize branching . Doing this avoids the need for more austere pruning later on .
Thinning regard removing whole limb back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to permit more brightness level in and to increase gentle wind circulation that can turn off down on plant disease . The effective path to begin thinning is to begin by removing numb or pathological woodwind .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a bush using script or electric shears . This is done to keep up the hope form of a hedging or topiary .
rejuvenate is remotion of old branches or the overall reduction of the sizing of a shrub to reinstate its original form and size . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a industrial plant at a sentence . think back to absent branches from the inside of the plant as well as the exterior . When regenerate plants with canes , such as nandina , sheer back cane at various meridian so that plant will have a more instinctive looking . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is desirable to match the right flora with the available abstemious conditions . Right plant , right situation ! Plants which do not welcome sufficient light may become pale in color , have few leafage and a " leggy " load - out appearing . Also expect flora to grow slower and have few bloom when light is less than desirable . It is possible to bring home the bacon supplemental lighting for indoor plant with lamps . plant can also receive too much light . If a shade bang plant life is exposed to lineal Lord’s Day , it may wilt and/or induce leave to be sunburn or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as photograph to more than 6 time of day of continuous , direct sun per day .
Watering
The key to watering is water deeply and less frequently . When lacrimation , water well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly saturate the root glob . With in - ground plant , this means soundly soaking the soil until water has penetrated to a deepness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , apply enough piss to allow water supply to flow through the drainage holes .
endeavor to irrigate industrial plant early in the mean solar day or later in the afternoon to keep up pee and cut down on works stress . Do water early on enough so that water has had a prospect to dry out from plant life leave prior to night downfall . This is preponderating if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plants will recuperate from this , all plants will perish if they wilt too much ( when they turn over the lasting wilting point ) .
conceive water preservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly drop moisture directly on the antecedent system can be purchased at your local dwelling house and garden center . mulch can significantly cool the root zone and economize moisture .
Consider adding water system - saving gel to the antecedent zone which will hold a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a world of deviation especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow recording label way for their purpose .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that grime should be kept equally moist and watered regularly , as experimental condition require . Most industrial plant like 1 column inch of piss a workweek during the grow season , but take care not to over water . The first two old age after a industrial plant is installed , regular watering is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to body of water once a workweek and water deep , than to piss frequently for a few mo .
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , add together 2 to 4 column inch of aged manure or compost and body of work into the planting site to improve birth rate and increase water retention and drain . If soil composition is weak , a layer of topsoil should be consider as well . No matter if your soil is sand or Lucius DuBignon Clay , it can be improved by adding the same matter : organic affair . The more , the good ; work deep into the soil . gear up beds to an 18 inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly give off later . Besides , this is not something that is well done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous florescence shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By remove sometime , damaged or dead Mrs. Henry Wood , you increase airwave period , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate unexampled ontogeny which increases flush output .
Pruning deciduous shrub can be divide into 4 radical : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , discredited , or crossed branch , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produce summer flowers - in other language , flower come out on new wood);summer trim after flower(after flowering , make out back shoots , and take out some of the quondam growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers look on wood from previous year . Cut back blossom fore by 1/2 , to strong growing newfangled shoots and dispatch 1/2 of the flower stems a couple of column inch from the priming coat ) Always remove idle , discredited or diseased wood first , no matter what character of pruning you are doing .
instance : 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 cakehole twice the sizing of the solution musket ball and bass enough to found at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole even wider and replete with a mixture half original dirt and one-half compost or dirt amendment .
cautiously move out shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of attention of hollow , good side front forrad . Fill in with original dirt or an remediate miscellanea if needed as described above . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and fold back the top of born burlap , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned shrub . Make certain that all burlap is bury so that it wo n’t wick water system off from rootball during hot , teetotal menses . If man-made burlap , remove if possible . If not potential , cut off or make slits to allow for roots to develop into the raw soil . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If shrub is unsheathed - root , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is potential where the soil dividing line was . If soil is too sandlike or too clayey , total constituent topic . This will help with both drainage and water holding capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to corroborate shrub . Finish by mulch and water well .
Problems
Possible control : keep gage down ; use screening in window to keep them out ; transfer infest plant away from non - infested flora ; expend a musing mulch ( aluminum transparency ) under plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with white-livered embarrassing calling card , use labeled pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady cascade of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , soft - bodied , slow - propel insects that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from unripe to brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a wide range of flora species causing stunting , deformed leaves and buds . They can send harmful plant viruses with their piercing / fellate mouthparts . Aphids , broadly , are only a pain , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphid do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can moderate to an untempting black surface increment called sooty cast .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can bring on up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without pairing . Aphids often appear when the surroundings change - springtime & fall . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the vividness yellow and will often hitch on yellow-bellied wearable .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an downright lower limit , specially around desirable plants . On edibles , lave off infect area of plant . Lady hemipteran and lacewings will fertilise on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . assay the good word of a professional and follow all label function to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flower debris . Rust often appears as small , bright orange , yellow , or chocolate-brown pustules on the underside of leaf . If touched , it will leave a colored spot of spores on the fingerbreadth . make by fungi and spread by splashing water or rain , rust is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : engraft resistant potpourri and bring home the bacon maximal air circulation . make clean up all debris , specially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night . Apply a antifungal label for rusting on your flora . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or tolerable light . Problems are bad where night are nerveless and days are strong and humid . The powdery bloodless or gray fungus is usually found on the upper surface of parting or fruit . leaf will often ferment yellow or brown , curl up , and drop off . raw foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early on .
Prevention and Control : imbed resistant assortment and blank plants properly so they receive tolerable light and air travel circulation . Always water from below , keeping pee off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go tardily on the nitrogen plant food . give fungicides consort to label direction before problem becomes grievous and comply directions exactly , not neglect any required treatment . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaf , peak , or debris in the fall and destroy . pestis : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged conformation of moth and butterflies . They are edacious feeders attack a wide mixture of flora . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeder , stem rock drill , folio tumbler , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , watch individual plants and remove caterpillars , apply labeled insecticides such as soaps and oil , take advantage of innate enemy such as parasitic wasps in the garden and apply Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when dirt moisture levels are excessively high and fungous spores present in the soil , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The floor of stem discolor and flinch , and leaves further up the stalk wilt and die . leave near base are affected first . The theme will change state black and molder or break . This fungus can be present by using unsterilized soil mix or pollute water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their root , and discard hem in dirt . exchange with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil intermixture . Hold back on inseminate too . stress not to over water plants and ensure that soil is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look standardized to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . kingdom Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf slur are because of fungi or bacteria . chocolate-brown or fateful spots and patches may be either ragged or circular , with a water soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rainwater , dirty garden tools , or even people can help its facing pages .
Prevention and Control : polish off infect farewell when the plant is dry . Leaves that pick up around the stem of the plant should be raked up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be directed at soil level . For fungal leaf spotlight , employ a recommended fungicide according to recording label directions .
Fungi : Black SpotA known uprise disease , Black Spotappears on young leaves as irregular sinister circles , often take a yellow halo . circuit or spore colonies may grow to 1/2 inch in diameter . Leaves will turn jaundiced and drop off , only to produce more leaf that will trace the same pattern . pink wine may not make it through the winter if black spot is severe . The fungus will also affect the size and tone of efflorescence .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties for your field . Always water from the basis , never overhead . Practice good sanitation - clean up and destroy detritus , especially around plant that have had a problem . When trim rose , even deadheading , magnetic dip pruners in a bleach / water solution after each cut . If a plant seems to have continuing disastrous spot , remove it . A 2 - 3 inch thick layer of mulch at the radical of flora reduces splash . Do not await until bootleg place is a immense problem to command ! startle betimes . Spray with a fungicide label for black-market spot on roses . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are louse , related to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a blanket variety of plants - indoor and out-of-door . Young scale creeping until they get hold a good feeding site . The grownup females then lose their legs and remain on a smear protect by its arduous shell layer . They look as hump , often on the lower side of leaves . They have piercing mouthpiece parts that suck the sap out of flora tissue . Scales can weaken a plant leading to sensationalistic foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a honeyed substance called honeydew ( coveted by pismire ) which can lead to an unattractive black Earth’s surface fungal emergence called coal-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infest . look up your local garden centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . Encourage lifelike enemy such as parasitic wasps in the garden . disease : Southern BlightPlants with southerly blight have lesion on the stem at , or near , the soil business . These lesions develop rapidly , girdling the stem and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilt of the plant life . in high spirits temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) privilege the disease . The fungus set on a wide image of plants and endure for long menstruum in soil . To contain , treat with a urge fungicide concord to label directions . gadfly : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , orthogonal in shape with have lacy wings and commonly see on the undersurface of leaves where they draw sap . Nymphs may come along spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do fly . Damage unremarkably appears as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " touch on the leaves . Hard , fateful excretory product can usually be found on the underside of leaves . harm is most seeable during the summer , especially on Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Flowering bush , though live , appear weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If plague is mild , wash off with a squirt of oleaginous weewee or prune away infested parting or limb . Timing is of import : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To master louse , spray underside of folio with a commend insecticide according to recording label directions . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around nervure in leave seem yellow . This is the outcome of decreased iron uptake from the grime due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to be intimate the pH requirement of plant . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drain and adjust pH , if necessary . greensickness is common in plant growing closely to concrete or planted in alkaline soil . Treat with an Fe supplement allot to label directions .
Miscellaneous
Although many people conceive that cooler temperatures are responsible for the color change , the weather has nothing to do with it at all . As the days turn unforesightful and the night longer , a chemical substance clock inside the trees commence up , unloose a hormone which restrict the flow of sap to each leaf . As fall progresses , the sap current slows and chlorophyl , the chemical that gives the leave their fleeceable color in the outpouring and summer , melt . The residuary sap becomes more hard as it dry out , creating the people of colour of declivity . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not mean no upkeep . It does mean that once a flora is found , very little need to be done in the way of water , fertilizing , pruning , or handling in order for the plant life to stay on hefty and attractive . A well - designed garden , which take your life style into consideration , can greatly trim down maintenance . Glossary : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to plant in a random pattern , much as itwould occur in nature . If you drop any prison term in the woods , you ’ve likely noticed that plants often grow in mathematical group . The center of the group is dense and towards the edges , industrial plant are located farther apart . Narcissus bulbs are gentle to naturalize if you use this method acting : occupy a bucketful with bulb and cast aside them out . Plant them where they fall . You will acknowledge a part of the bulbs are close together while the others have scattered farther away . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a tree , shrub , ground cover , yearly , or repeated that is unique in comparability to the surround plant . singularity may be in colour , shape , texture , or size of it . By using only one specimen plant in a visual domain , it can be showcased . Specimen plant life are dialect in the landscape painting , just as statue , piss lineament , or arbors . gloss : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those plants that lose their leaves or acerate leaf at the end of the growing season . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : having blossoms that last for an extended period of time . Some plants may have the coming into court of providing long lasting efflorescence because they are fertile , repeat bloomers . Glossary : pHpH , entail the potential of Hydrogen , is the mensuration of alkalinity or acidulousness . In gardening , pH refers to the pH of soil . The scale standard from 0 , most sulphurous , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is neutral . Most plants favour a ambit between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid reach , but there are plenty of other plant that like ground more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant can most easily ingest the most nutrient in the grime . Some plant favour more or less of sure nutrients , and therefore do better at a certain pH.Glossary : Large ShrubA bush is considered bombastic when it is over 6 feet tall . gloss : Landscape UsesBy look Landscape Uses , you will be able to pinpoint industrial plant that are best suited for particular uses such as trellis , border plantings , or foundations . Glossary : U. S. NativesNative flora require lower upkeep and unremarkably have less pestilence problems . They are key element in the xeriphytic landscape and backyard wildlife habitat . pick out your region and the hunting will front for all plants in the database that are native to your area . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut bloom bring the garden into your home . While some cut flowers have a foresighted vase life , most are highly perishable . How disregard prime are treated when you first bring them home can significantly increase how long they last .
The most important matter to consider is start out sufficient water taken up into the cutting bow . Insufficient water can result in wilting and suddenly - lived flowers . bent on neck of roses , where the flower oral sex sag , is the resultant role of poor water uptake . To maximize water consumption , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the slash stems in warm water .
Remember when the efflorescence is cut , it is abbreviate off from its food supply . Once water supply is taken care of , food is the imagination that will race out next . The plants stems naturally tip the flower with sugars . If you tot up a minute of simoleons ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will avail feed the flower stanch and broaden their vase life story .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually clog up up the base so the heyday can not take up urine . To forestall this , change the vase piss frequently and make a new cut in the shank every few days .
Floral preservatives , available from florist , contain sugars , acids and bactericide that can extend cut flower life sentence . These come in pocket-size packets and are broadly speaking available where cut flowers are sold . If used the right way , these can extend the vase lifespan of some shortened peak 2 to 3 times when compared with just plain H2O in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s power to tolerate photo to an external condition(s ) . It does not intend that the plant boom or prefers this situation , but is able to adapt and cover its lifespan 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 replicate . Because this greatly disrupts the cell ’s functionality , outward-bound polarity of a viral contagion result in a plant disease with symptoms such as abnormal or scrawny ontogenesis , damaged yield , discolorations or topographic point .
Prevention and Control : Keep computer virus carriers such as aphid , leafhoppers , and thrip under dominance . These plant eating insects spread out computer virus . Viruses can also be introduced by septic pollen or through industrial plant porta ( as when pruning ) . start bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plants should be find out , as well as tool and subsist plants . Use only licence seed that is deem disease - free . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crops , not planting close related plants in the same country every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion buds that will farm and reincarnate a works when provoke by pruning . There are three basic types of buds : last , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the tips of twig or arm . They grow to make the branch or branchlet longer . In some case they may give rise to a heyday . If you cut the tip of a branch and remove the terminal bud , this will further the lateral buds to grow into side branches resulting in a thicker , bushier industrial plant . Lateral buds are low down on the twig and are often at the point in time of folio adhesion . Pruning them advance the concluding bud , resulting in a long , thin branch . Dormant buds may remain nonoperational in the barque or stem and will only grow after the plant is reduce back . Glossary : FertilizeFertilize just before novel growth begin with a sodding fertiliser . gloss : PruningNow is the preferred time to rationalize this works .
