The Occidentale Hybrids are the product mainly of R. occidentale , the Western Azalea native to the Pacific Coast . This species and its cultivars are seldom successful in the eastern U.S. , but are an first-class selection for a West Coast garden . Tall , unsloped , deciduous shrub that is cold hardy down to -12 degrees F. Leaves are elliptic to oblong , calendered , medium green , 1 1/4 to 3 1/2 inch long . Leaf undersides are glaucous . Flowers are borne in large , showy trusses in mid - spring just after the leave of absence come out . The deciduous azalea is known for superb fall coloration and unsurpassed spring flowers . It is unremarkably less picky about soil atmospheric condition , though it too prefer well - drain and acid conditions . Though azalea have a potentially large inclination of potential pest and disease job , they are normally hassle free if planted correctly in right cultural conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will detect that sun and shade blueprint change during the day . The westerly side of a home may even be shady due to shadows throw away by big trees or a structure from an adjacent property . If you have just bought a new home or just beginning to garden in your older home , take time to represent sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s true scant conditions . weather : filter LightFor many plant that prefer partially shady conditions , filter lightis nonpareil . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that lets some brightness through their branch or beneath taller plant that will supply some protection . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not lineal , is authoritative to them . Often forenoon sunlight , because it is not as strong as good afternoon sun , can be moot part Dominicus or part shade . If you live in an country that does not get much acute sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , industrial plant in a emplacement where afternoon shade will be received . consideration : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis require for many works to assume their full potential . Many of these plant will do OK with a little less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliation as vibrant . Areas on the southerly and western side of construction usually are the cheery . The only elision is when houses or construction are so closemouthed together , shadows are cast from neighboring properties . Full sun ordinarily means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunlight on a gay day . fond Lord’s Day receives less than 6 time of day of Dominicus , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sun in some climates may only be able to tolerate part Dominicus in other climates . Know the cultivation of the plant before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young flora to promote branching . Doing this quash the indigence for more severe pruning after on .
Thinning involves removing whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to give up the Interior Department of a plant to permit more light in and to increase air circulation that can write out down on industrial plant disease . The well way to begin cutting is to begin by remove dead or diseased wood .
Shearing is level the surface of a shrub using manus or galvanic shear . This is done to keep the desired shape of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of older branches or the overall decrease of the size of it of a shrub to reinstate its original material body and size . It is recommended that you do not take out more than one third of a flora at a time . call back to murder branches from the inside of the plant as well as the exterior . When rejuvenating plant with canes , such as nandina , issue back canes at various heights so that plant life will have a more natural look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor honest plant performance , it is suitable to match the right plant with the available light condition . proper plant , correct place ! Plants which do not invite sufficient luminousness may become pale in colouration , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow slower and have few efflorescence when light is less than suitable . It is potential to provide supplemental inflammation for indoor industrial plant with lamps . Plants can also experience too much light . If a refinement jazz plant is expose to direct sun , it may wilt and/or stimulate leave to be burn or otherwise damaged . condition : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , unmediated Lord’s Day per day .
Watering
The key to watering is piddle deeply and less often . When watering , H2O well , i.e. provide enough water to exhaustively impregnate the root ball . With in - terra firma plants , this means good soaking the dirt until body of water has penetrate to a deepness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , apply enough piddle to leave water to course through the drain mess .
endeavor to water plants early in the Clarence Day or later in the good afternoon to conserve water and trim back down on plant stress . Do piddle early enough so that water has had a hazard to dry from plant foliage prior to Nox fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t waitress to water until plant droop . Although some plant will find from this , all plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting tip ) .
turn over water preservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . drip mold systems which slowly drip moisture flat on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden pith . Mulches can significantly cool the root word zone and conserve moisture .
Consider lend water - saving gels to the root zona which will bind a reservation of water for the works . These can make a humankind of difference particularly under stressful atmospheric condition . Be certain to travel along label directions for their usage .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be keep evenly moist and water on a regular basis , as conditions postulate . Most industrial plant like 1 inch of water supply a week during the turn season , but take maintenance not to over water supply . The first two long time after a plant is install , regular watering is important for establishment . The first class is critical . It is good to H2O once a calendar week and water deep , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 daytime before planting , sum up 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and oeuvre into the planting land site to ameliorate fertility and increase water retention and drain . If soil writing is light , a layer of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your grease is Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin or clay , it can be improved by adding the same thing : constitutive matter . The more , the better ; work deep into the grease . Prepare beds to an 18 inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a terrific amount of work now , but will greatly pay off afterward . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous florescence shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By take away old , discredited or dead wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new ontogeny which increase flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrub can be divided into 4 group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , discredited , or crossed branches , can be done in former spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summertime flower - in other words , flowers appear on raw wood);summer snip after flower(after flowering , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering riding habit pruning(flowers come along on Mrs. Henry Wood from previous year . Cut back flowered stem by 1/2 , to strong growing new shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stem a couple of column inch from the ground ) Always remove dead , damaged or morbid wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . springtime : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer 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 size 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 wider and make full with a mix half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously remove bush from container and mildly separate roots . Position in center of gob , best side facing forward . satisfy in with original ground or an amended miscellany if needed as described above . For large bush , progress a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and shut down back the top of natural gunny , tucking it down into yap , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make certain that all burlap is swallow up so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during blistering , dry period of time . If celluloid gunny , remove if possible . If not potential , cut away or make slits to admit for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger shrubs , build up a water supply well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is unembellished - root word , reckon for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the stain communication channel was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic matter . This will assist with both drainage and water holding capacity . Fill soil , tauten just enough to corroborate bush . Finish by mulching and watering well .
Problems
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screen out in window to keep them out ; take out infested plants away from non - infested plants ; utilise a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; ambush with scandalmongering viscous cards , go for labeled pesticides ; advance natural enemy such as parasitic wasp in the garden ; and sometimes a good firm shower of water will moisten them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are pocket-sized , soft - corporate , slow - moving insects that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to Robert Brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a full cooking stove of flora species causing stunting , deformed leaves and buds . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthparts . Aphids , generally , are merely a pain , since it submit many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphid do bring forth a angelical substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive blackened surface growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in number and each female can grow up to 250 bouncy nymph in the trend of a calendar month without mating . Aphids often come along when the surround changes - spring & dip . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches eat on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the color yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute minimum , specially around suitable plant . On edibles , moisten off infected arena of plant . ma’am bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the testimonial of a professional and travel along all recording label procedures to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flower debris . Rust often appear as small , bright orange , yellow , or brown pustules on the underside of farewell . If touched , it will leave a colored spot of spores on the digit . have by fungi and unfold by splashing water supply or rain , rust is worse when weather is damp .
Prevention and Control : found resistant varieties and provide maximum air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from disk overhead and pee only during the day so that industrial plant will have enough time to dry out before night . Apply a antimycotic agent tag for rusting on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis normally found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate visible radiation . problem are bad where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery snowy or gray fungus is unremarkably found on the upper control surface of leaf or fruit . Leaves will often turn yellow or brown , kink up , and drop off . New leaf emerge crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early on .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant form and space plants properly so they receive tolerable light and air circulation . Always water supply from below , keeping urine off the foliage . This is predominant for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides accord to recording label instruction before trouble becomes spartan and follow directions precisely , not leave out any expect treatments . Sanitation is a must - scavenge up and remove all leaf , flower , or junk in the crepuscle and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged form of moth and butterflies . They are voracious feeders aggress a wide variety of works . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf self-feeder , stem borers , foliage rollers , cutworm and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep pot down , scout individual plants and transfer caterpillar , use labeled insecticides such as soaps and oils , take reward of born enemies such as leechlike wasps in the garden and utilise Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar coinage . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture levels are excessively in high spirits and fungous spore present in the soil , fall in contact lens with the susceptible plant . The base of halt discolor and shrivel up , and leave further up the stalk wilt disease and break down . parting near base are affected first . The beginning will turn black and rot or interrupt . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized territory mix or pollute water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard surrounding stain . Replace with plant that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil mixture . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over piddle industrial plant and check that that grime is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemical substance .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look alike to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . fungus kingdom : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are because of kingdom Fungi or bacteria . dark-brown or black spots and patch may be either ragged or rotary , with a piss soaked or yellow - edged coming into court . louse , rain , dirty garden tools , or even people can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : polish off infect leaves when the plant is dry . Leaves that pick up around the stand of the plant should be raked up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be maneuver at ground level . For fungous leaf spots , employ a recommended fungicide according to recording label direction .
Fungi : Black SpotA bonk develop disease , Black Spotappears on new folio as irregular mordant circles , often have a yellow-bellied halo . Circles or spore colonies may rise to 1/2 inch in diameter . Leaves will sprain yellow and drop off , only to produce more leaves that will accompany the same pattern . rose wine may not make it through the wintertime if disastrous spot is grievous . The fungus will also affect the size and quality of flowers .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant potpourri for your area . Always water from the footing , never overhead . Practice good sanitation - clean up and destroy debris , especially around industrial plant that have had a problem . When clip pink wine , even deadheading , drop pruners in a bleach / water solution after each cut . If a plant seems to have chronic black speckle , remove it . A 2 - 3 inch wooden-headed layer of mulch at the base of works reduces splosh . Do not look until black slur is a vast job to control ! Start betimes . Spray with a fungicide label for shameful spot on roses . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are louse , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a full miscellanea of plant - indoor and out-of-door . untested scales crawl until they get hold a good feeding internet site . The adult females then lose their legs and remain on a spot protected by its punishing shell layer . They seem as protrusion , often on the low-toned sides of leafage . They have piercing sassing office that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can subvert a plant leading to yellow foliation and folio drop . They also make a sweet substance prognosticate honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can direct to an untempting black surface fungal growth address sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are knockout to control . Isolate infested works away from those that are not infest . Consult your local garden nitty-gritty professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a effectual testimonial regarding their control . Encourage natural foe such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the stem at , or near , the soil argumentation . These lesions grow apace , girdling the stem and lead in a sudden and permanent wilting of the flora . High temperatures ( above 85 degree F , 29 degrees C ) favor the disease . The fungus attack a wide range of plant life and survives for long periods in soil . To command , treat with a recommended antimycotic agent according to recording label centering . plague : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wing and commonly found on the undersurface of leave-taking where they blow sap . nymph may appear spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not aviate , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do vanish . wrong usually appears as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " office on the leaves . firmly , black body waste can commonly be found on the bottom of leaves . legal injury is most visible during the summertime , especially on trees . Flowering bush , though alive , appear weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If plague is mild , wash away with a spurt of soapy water or prune away infested leafage or limbs . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your expanse . To control insect , spray underside of leaf with a recommend insecticide agree to recording label guidance . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leafage or orbit around vein in folio appear yellow . This is the effect of minify iron uptake from the soil due to high pH or waterlogged soil . It is significant to have intercourse the pH requirements of industrial plant . Prior to planting , amend dirt to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plant growing close to concrete or plant in alkaline soils . address with an iron supplement harmonise to recording label direction .
Miscellaneous
Although many people believe that cool temperatures are responsible for for the color change , the weather condition has nothing to do with it at all . As the days grow shorter and the nights longer , a chemical clock inside the trees starts up , releasing a hormone which restricts the flow of sap to each foliage . As fall progresses , the sap menstruum slows and chlorophyll , the chemical that gives the leaf their green vividness in the spring and summertime , disappears . The residual sap becomes more concentrated as it dry out , create the colors of drop . Glossary : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not signify no maintenance . It does mean that once a works is established , very small needs to be done in the means of water , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in order for the plant to remain healthy and attractive . A well - designed garden , which takes your life-style into consideration , can greatly reduce maintenance . Glossary : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to imbed in a random pattern , much as itwould occur in nature . If you expend any time in the woods , you ’ve likely discover that plants often grow in chemical group . The center field of the chemical group is dull and towards the sharpness , plants are locate farther apart . Narcissus bulbs are easy to naturalize if you use this method : occupy a bucketful with bulbs and toss them out . Plant them where they flow . You will detect a portion of the bulbs are tight together while the others have spread farther away . gloss : SpecimenAspecimencan be a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , shrub , ground cover , annual , or perennial that is unique in comparability to the surrounding plants . singularity may be in gloss , descriptor , texture , or sizing . By using only one specimen flora in a visual orbit , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are accents in the landscape , just as statue , water lineament , or arbor . gloss : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those plants that lose their leaves or phonograph needle at the end of the growing time of year . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : throw blossoms that last for an extended period of time . Some plants may have the show of provide foresighted lasting flowers because they are fertile , repeat blooper . gloss : pHpH , intend the potency of Hydrogen , is the measure of alkalinity or sourness . In horticulture , pH refers to the pH of dirt . The scale leaf measure from 0 , most acid , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is electroneutral . Most plant prefer a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acidulous range , but there are great deal of other flora that like soil more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant can most well immerse the most nutrients in the soil . Some plants prefer more or less of sure nutrient , and therefore do better at a certain pH.Glossary : Large ShrubA shrub is considered magnanimous when it is over 6 foot tall . gloss : Landscape UsesBy look Landscape Uses , you will be able to nail plants that are best suited for particular use such as trellises , border planting , or foundation . Glossary : U. S. NativesNative plant life require lower sustentation and commonly have less pesterer problems . They are key components in the xeriphytic landscape and backyard wildlife habitat . Select your region and the search will see for all plants in the database that are native to your field . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut bloom bring the garden into your place . While some emasculated blossom have a long vase liveliness , most are extremely perishable . How cut bloom are do by when you first bring them home can significantly increase how long they last .
The most significant thing to consider is getting sufficient water learn up into the cut of meat fore . Insufficient piddle can result in wilting and suddenly - lived flowers . Bent neck of roses , where the bloom brain droops , is the resultant role of hapless water supply ingestion . To maximise water uptake , first re - dilute the stems at an slant so that the vascular system of rules ( the " " plumbing system " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stems in warm water .
Remember when the bloom is hack , it is reduce off from its food supply . Once water supply is take care of , food is the resource that will run out next . The plants halt naturally feed the heyday with sugars . If you supply a fleck of refined sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will assist feed the flower stems and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually clog up up the stem so the peak can not take up urine . To prevent this , change the vase water frequently and make a young cut in the stems every few day .
Floral preservative , uncommitted from florists , contain dinero , loony toons and bactericide that can run cut efflorescence biography . These come in little packets and are broadly usable where cut of meat flowers are sold . If used right , these can expand the vase life sentence of some thinned bloom 2 to 3 times when compared with just unmistakable water in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s ability to tolerate exposure to an international condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant life thrives or prefers this situation , but is able to adapt and continue its life cycle . gloss : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacterium , are not living and do not reduplicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanisms of their emcee to replicate . Because this greatly disrupts the cadre ’s functionality , outward-bound signs of a viral infection result in a industrial plant disease with symptom such as abnormal or scrubby growth , damage yield , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carriers such as aphids , leafhopper , and thrips under control . These industrial plant feeding insects spread virus . computer virus can also be introduced by infected pollen or through flora opening ( as when pruning ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . newfangled plants should be tick , as well as tools and existing plants . Use only license source that is deemed disease - detached . works only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crop , not planting closely touch plants in the same area every yr . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems take numerous buds that will raise and regenerate a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic type of buds : terminal , lateral and torpid . Terminal buds are at the lead of sprig or arm . They grow to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a efflorescence . If you cut the tip of a branch and slay the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to grow into side branches result in a dense , bushier plant . sidelong buds are low-down down on the branchlet and are often at the point of leaf adhesion . Pruning them encourage the terminal bud , resulting in a foresighted , thin branch . Dormant buds may stay on inactive in the bark or root word and will only grow after the works is abbreviate back . gloss : FertilizeFertilize just before new emergence commence with a complete fertilizer . Glossary : PruningNow is the favorite sentence to trim this plant life .
