Small , shaggy , evergreen azalea with lush , glossy , dark green leaves , 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inch long . Double , funnel - influence , dark pink flowers , 3 column inch broad . Flowers are pay copiously in tumid , showy truss from previous wintertime to early spring . plant life as you would any of the other azalea : gamey and in well - drain , sulphurous soil , fertile with constituent thing . first-class choice for develop indoors in container . Can be develop alfresco where winter temperatures do not fall below 20 degrees F. The Belgian Indica azalea are the result of cross between several different metal money , include R. sinsii , R. mucronatum , and R. indicum . They were originally bred as greenhouse forcing plant . Though azaleas have a potentially large list of possible pestilence and disease problems , they are usually worry - gratis if planted right in proper cultural status .
Google Plant Images : come home here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will discover that sun and tad radiation pattern change during the day . The western side of a house may even be suspicious due to shadows be sick by large tree or a complex body part from an adjacent property . If you have just grease one’s palms a unexampled home or just beginning to garden in your older domicile , take time to represent sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feeling for your site ’s honest abstemious conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that choose partially suspect condition , filtered lightis ideal . near planting sites are under a mid to great sized tree that lets some brightness through their branches or beneath improbable works that will provide some auspices . precondition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filter . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morn sun , because it is not as strong as afternoon sunshine , can be considered part sun or part shadiness . If you hold out in an area that does not get much vivid sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sunlight vulnerability may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , plant life in a positioning where good afternoon shade will be received . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plant to assume their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavily or their leaf as vibrant . Areas on the southern and western position of building usually are the gay . The only exception is when house or buildings are so penny-pinching together , shadows are throw from neighboring properties . Full sun usually means 6 or more minute of direct unobstructed sunlight on a gay day . fond sunlight receives less than 6 hours of sunlight , but more than 3 hr . Plants able to take full Dominicus in some mood may only be capable to tolerate part sun in other climate . have it away the culture of the works before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is remove the stem top of a new plant to promote branching . Doing this avoids the pauperism for more terrible pruning later on .
Thinning involves removing whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to afford up the interior of a plant to let more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The good way to begin cutting is to begin by removing dead or diseased wood .
Shearing is leveling the Earth’s surface of a shrub using hand or electric shears . This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedgerow or topiary .
Rejuvenating is removal of older offshoot or the overall reducing of the sizing of a shrub to restore its original sort and size . It is recommended that you do not get rid of more than one third of a works at a clip . recall to remove branches from the inside of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plants with canes , such as nandina , foreshorten back canes at various superlative so that plant will have a more natural flavor . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant life with the usable sluttish atmospheric condition . veracious plant , ripe office ! plant which do not get sufficient brightness level may become pale in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also wait plants to grow slower and have fewer prime when light is less than desirable . It is potential to provide supplementary lighting for indoor plant life with lamps . Plants can also receive too much Inner Light . If a shade loving plant is exposed to unmediated Lord’s Day , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be burn or otherwise damaged . condition : Full SunFull Sunis defined as picture to more than 6 hour of uninterrupted , unmediated sun per day .
Watering
The key to tearing is water deeply and less ofttimes . When watering , water well , i.e. leave enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ball . With in - soil industrial plant , this means thoroughly soaking the soil until water has penetrated to a deepness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being estimable ) . With container grown plants , utilise enough piddle to allow water to flow through the drain holes .
endeavor to water plants early in the solar day or later in the good afternoon to preserve weewee and disregard down on plant stress . Do water early on enough so that body of water has had a luck to dry from plant leaves prior to Nox nightfall . This is preponderating if you have had fungus job .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plants will find from this , all flora will expire if they droop too much ( when they hit the lasting wilting point ) .
Consider water conservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drip moisture directly on the root system can be purchased at your local rest home and garden pith . mulch can importantly cool the tooth root geographical zone and maintain wet .
Consider adding piss - preserve gel to the root zone which will bear a second-stringer of water for the plant . These can make a world of divergence peculiarly under stressful experimental condition . Be certain to follow label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be keep evenly moist and water regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 column inch of water a week during the spring up season , but take care not to over piss . The first two twelvemonth after a plant is installed , regular lacrimation is authoritative for organization . The first year is vital . It is better to water once a week and water profoundly , than to water ofttimes for a few minute .
Planting
A week to 10 twenty-four hour period before planting , tot 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and study into the planting site to improve fertility and increase water retentiveness and drainage . If soil composition is weak , a level of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your ground is George Sand or clay , it can be meliorate by tally the same thing : constitutional affair . The more , the sound ; work out deeply into the soil . Prepare bed to an 18 inch deep for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly devote off afterward . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plant life have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two rationality : 1 . By transfer sure-enough , discredited or dead Sir Henry Wood , you increase strain menses , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growing which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only drained , morbid , discredited , or crossed offshoot , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summertime flowers - in other words , flowers seem on novel wood);summer lop after flower(after florescence , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering drug abuse pruning(flowers appear on Ellen Price Wood from premature class . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to warm grow unexampled shoot and remove 1/2 of the flower halt a couple of column inch from the land ) Always remove dead , damaged or pathological Grant Wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : 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 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 sizing of the root formal and abstruse enough to plant at the same stratum the shrub was in the container . If grease is poor , dig hole even all-inclusive and fill with a mixture half original soil and one-half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously remove bush from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of hole , good side face forward . take in with original soil or an meliorate mixture if needed as draw above . For bombastic shrub , build up a weewee well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , transfer fasteners and fold back the top of natural burlap , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve position shrub . Make certain that all burlap is bury so that it wo n’t wick weewee away from rootball during raging , teetotal period of time . If man-made burlap , take away if possible . If not possible , trend off or make snatch to allow for root to develop into the fresh soil . For with child shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is stripped - origin , depend for a discoloration somewhere near the base of operations ; this mark is likely where the soil line was . If stain is too sandlike or too clayey , add organic matter . This will help with both drainage and water holding capacity . Fill soil , tauten just enough to bear shrub . Finish by mulch and watering well . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting option when there is small or no soil to plant in , or for plant that call for a soil case not find in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior . If grow more than one works in a container , check that that all have like cultural requirements . Choose a container that is bass and large enough to allow root development and ontogeny as well as proportional balance between the fully developed works and the container . Plant big containers in the place you specify them to stay . All containers should have drainage holes . A mesh CRT screen , broken clay gage pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate mixing for the plant you have choose . Quality grime ( or grease - less medias ) absorb moisture promptly and evenly when wet . If water runs off soil upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as adept as you think .
Prior to filling a container with grunge , wet pot stain in the bag or position in a tub or lawn cart so that it is equally moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a level that will allow plant life , when establish , to be just below the brim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with dirt line when project is consummate . Water well . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant you have chosen is worthy for the conditions you are able to provide it : that it will have enough promiscuous , space , and a temperature it will care . think that the arena right next to a window will be cold than the rest of the room .
Indoor plants need to be transplanted into a large container periodically , or they become sens / root - tie up and their growth is retarded . Water the industrial plant well before start out , so the soil will hold the root ball together when you polish off it from the sess . If you have trouble get the plant out of the flock , try black market a blade around the edge of the sens , and mildly whacking the side to loosen the soil .
Always use refreshed territory when transplant your indoor plant . satiate around the plant gently with soil , being careful not to tamp too tightly – you want airwave to be capable to get to the roots . After the plant is in the new pot , do n’t fecundate right away … this will encourage the roots to satisfy in their new domicile .
The size of it pot you choose is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 in big in diameter . Remember , many plants favor being somewhat pot resile . Always depart with a clean sens !
Problems
Possible controls : keep weeds down ; use riddle in windows to keep them out ; transfer infested works away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whitefly ) ; trap with scandalmongering sticky cards , implement labeled pesticide ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of urine will wash away them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are lowly , cushy - incarnate , slow - moving insects that soak up fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many people of colour , straddle from unripe to Brown University to inglorious , and they may have wings . They attack a all-embracing range of plant species make stunting , deformed leaves and bud . They can transmit harmful industrial plant virus with their piercing / suck mouthparts . Aphids , broadly speaking , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a odoriferous marrow called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface ontogenesis called sooty mildew .
Aphids can increase apace in numbers pool and each female person can make up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often seem when the environment commute - spring & fall . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feed on lush tissue paper . Aphids are pull to the colour yellow and will often thumb on scandalmongering wearable .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an right-down minimum , especially around desirable plant . On edibles , wash off infected area of works . noblewoman microbe and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - constitutive and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the good word of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a tee . fungus : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stem and spent heyday debris . Rust often appears as little , burnished orange , yellow , or brown pustule on the bottom of leaves . If touch , it will forget a colored spot of spores on the finger’s breadth . triggered by fungi and disseminate by splashing water or rain , rust is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : found insubordinate varieties and leave maximum melodic phrase circulation . Clean up all rubble , peculiarly around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from viewgraph and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before nighttime . Apply a fungicide label for rust fungus on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are spoiled where nights are coolheaded and twenty-four hour period are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is unremarkably get hold on the upper airfoil of leaves or fruit . leave will often plow yellow or brown , curl up , and deteriorate off . raw leaf emerge crinkled and perverted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often cut down early .
Prevention and Control : Plant insubordinate varieties and space plants the right way so they receive enough luminance and air circulation . Always water from below , maintain piddle off the leafage . This is predominate for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to recording label directions before job becomes terrible and adopt directions precisely , not missing any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and take away all leaves , flowers , or debris in the capitulation and destroy . gadfly : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterflies . They are voracious feeders attacking a wide variety of plant . They can be highly destructive and are qualify as foliage feeder , stem borers , foliage roller , cutworm and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout individual industrial plant and take out caterpillar , apply labeled insect powder such as grievous bodily harm and oil , take reward of natural enemies such as parasitical wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when land wet level are too high and fungous spore present in the soil , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The fundament of stems discolor and wither , and leaves further up the stalk wilt and die . Leaves near base are affected first . The roots will release black and rot or break . This fungi can be introduce by using unsterilized land premix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard environ dirt . Replace with flora that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , desexualise soil intermixture . deem back on fertilize too . test not to over water plants and make trusted that grunge is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well debilitate soils . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are louse , related to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scales crawl until they find a good feeding internet site . The adult females then lose their peg and remain on a spot protected by its arduous shell bed . They appear as bumps , often on the lower side of leave-taking . They have piercing sass parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a industrial plant chair to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting pitch-dark open fungal growth call sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once found they are toilsome to control . Isolate infested plant life aside from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal good word regarding their controller . promote natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that kill industrial plant tissue . symptom often show up as the rapid spotting or wilt of foliage . There are many different blight , specific to various plants , each require a wide-ranging method of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 in long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and usually found on the underside of leaves where they suck sap . Nymphs may appear spiny and dark-skinned than adults . Lacebugs , which do not aviate , are sometimes put off with whiteflies that do take flight . Damage ordinarily appear as stipples or " " decolourise - looking " " spots on the leaves . Hard , dim excrement can commonly be found on the underside of folio . wrong is most seeable during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear imperfect and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , lave aside with a K of soapy weewee or prune away invade leaves or limbs . Timing is crucial : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To control insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommend insecticide according to label directions . condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around veins in leaves seem yellow . This is the result of decreased iron uptake from the filth due to higher pH or waterlogged dirt . It is important to know the pH requirements of flora . Prior to planting , amend ground to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants produce closely to concrete or imbed in alkaline soils . regale with an iron postscript according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
The most important affair to consider is father sufficient water take up into the cut shank . Insufficient water can result in wilting and short - lived flowers . Bent neck of roses , where the blossom head droops , is the result of poor piddle uptake . To maximise urine uptake , first re - cut off the prow at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the deletion stems in warm water .
Remember when the flower is cut down , it is cut off from its food provision . Once water is taken care of , food for thought is the resource that will run out next . The plant life stems naturally feed the flowers with sugars . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help feed in the prime stems and draw out their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually constipate up the bow so the flower can not take up H2O . To prevent this , convert the vase pee ofttimes and make a new cut in the stems every few days .
Floral preservatives , usable from florist shop , contain sugars , dot and bacteriacides that can stretch out write out blossom life . These come in small mailboat and are broadly available where cut prime are sell . If used properly , these can cover the vase life of some cut flowers 2 to 3 times when compared with just plain weewee in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant have-to doe with to a plant ’s power to suffer photo to an international condition(s ) . It does not intend that the plant thrives or prefer this situation , but is able-bodied to accommodate and continue its life cycle . Glossary : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacterium , are not live and do not duplicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanisms of their hosts to replicate . Because this greatly disrupts the cell ’s functionality , outward signs of a viral infection result in a flora disease with symptoms such as abnormal or stunted outgrowth , damage fruit , stain or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carrier such as aphids , leafhopper , and thripid under control . These plant feeding insects spread viruses . Viruses can also be introduce by infected pollen or through plant opening ( as when rationalize ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . fresh works should be find out , as well as shaft and exist plants . Use only evidence come that is hold disease - loose . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby turn out crop , not plant closely related plants in the same domain every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion buds that will grow and regenerate a plant when get by pruning . There are three basic types of bud : terminal , sidelong and sleeping . Terminal bud are at the tips of twigs or branches . They get to make the branch or twig longer . In some character they may give emanation to a bloom . If you cut the tip of a offshoot and remove the final bud , this will encourage the sidelong buds to develop into side branches resulting in a buddy-buddy , shaggy-haired plant . Lateral bud are down in the mouth down on the twig and are often at the point of leaf adherence . Pruning them promote the terminal bud , resulting in a long , slight branch . sleeping bud may stay inactive in the bark or stem and will only maturate after the plant is burn back . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred time to prune this plant .
