Buy new azaleas in bloom
When planting azaleas, most people choose a color. Buy blooming plants to provide color. You'll receive the proper hue, and if you purchase many, you may pair or combine them. White is typically safe. Avoid planting one of each hue.
Group plants for impact
Setting out blocks or sweeps of the same selection maximizes effect. Colorful yet chaotic ten sorts will dot your front lawn. Plant azaleas of the same color in large drifts between bushes for optimum results.
Pick the right size for your space
In the South, Southern Indian hybrids grow 8 10 feet tall and should be planted 4 feet apart. Overly enthusiastic gardeners overlook this and destroy their walkways and homes.
Give them the light they love
Sunlight is important when placing azaleas, as with any plant. Azaleas thrive in dappled light or early sun and afternoon shade. Large plots under towering trees or forested borders are ideal.
Azaleas need acid soil
Azaleas like acidic, well-drained, organically rich soil. In thick clay or nutrient-poor sand, they fail. Giving your soil enough of leaf mold, peat moss, or bark will help your azalea shrub thrive.
Regular watering and good drainage matter
Regular water and appropriate drainage are essential for azaleas' first two years of growth. Avoid planting azaleas near downspouts or moist places. A gently mounded bed helps excess water drain away from plants.
Planting in clay will take some prep
In hard clay soil, plant an azalea shrub practically on top of the earth and add dirt around the root ball. Make a root ball-deep, twice-wide hole. Fill the hole with organic matter-rich soil to raise the root ball 4 inches.
Practice restraint when pruning
Azaleas look best when left mounded. Only prune long, wayward branches. Leggy older plants may benefit from staggered trunk branch trimming. If you have to prune hard every year, you may have the incorrect azalea or too many plants.
"Evergreen" doesn't mean leaves live forever
Azalea leaves turning yellow and falling off, particularly in the autumn, are usually harmless. All evergreens shed leaves. Just clearing the path for development.
Azaleas are accents, not centerpieces
Gardening should include azaleas, not the garden. You may prolong bloom period to six weeks by planting early-, mid-, and late-season varieties. But 46 weeks remain in the year.