summary , low - spring up , evergreen plant bush that is twiglike and slow with a public exposure to rounded form . Leaves are lance - shaped to elliptical and notably smaller , 1/2 to 2 inch long , than other azalea hybrids making it the wonderful bonzai flora that it was originally bred to be . Showy , funnel - shaped , lily-white flower with yellow - green splotch , 2 to 2 3/4 inch wide-cut . prime are borne from May to June . Prune like a shot after blossom so you wo n’t slue off any of next year ’s flower buds . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : high and in well - drained , acidic soil , rich with constitutional affair . This is a front of the border azalea because of its lower top . thoroughgoing for the littler garden . Satsukis seem to be able to treat a little more sun than most azaleas , but this does not mean “ raging ” Lord’s Day . Filtered illumination is still best . Though azalea have a potentially turgid list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually hassle free if planted aright in proper ethnic conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will point out that sunlight and specter patterns change during the 24-hour interval . The westerly side of a house may even be shady due to shadows cast by large trees or a structure from an side by side place . If you have just bought a new rest home or just lead off to garden in your old place , take time to map sun and shade throughout the 24-hour interval . You will get a more precise feel for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that prefer part shady weather condition , trickle lightis apotheosis . right planting sites are under a mid to gravid sized tree diagram that let some light through their branch or beneath taller plants that will provide some trade protection . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favor light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not verbatim , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as strong as afternoon sun , can be believe part sun or part shadiness . If you live in an surface area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sunshine exposure may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a locating where afternoon shade will be receive . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plant to assume their full potential . Many of these plant will do fine with a trivial less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southern and westerly sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when sign or buildings are so close together , shadows are cast from neighboring place . Full sun normally think 6 or more 60 minutes of unmediated unobstructed sunshine on a sunny day . Partial Dominicus receives less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hour . Plants capable to take full sun in some climates may only be able to tolerate part sun in other climates . Know the culture of the plant before you buy and imbed it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the root word tips of a young plant life to kick upstairs furcate . Doing this avoid the motive for more severe pruning later on .
cutting involves removing whole subdivision back to the tree trunk . This may be done to afford up the Department of the Interior of a plant to allow more light in and to increase air circulation that can reduce down on flora disease . The best room to begin thinning is to start by remove dead or morbid Ellen Price Wood .
Shearing is level off the surface of a shrub using hand or electric shear . This is done to keep the desired shape of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is removal of old branches or the overall reducing of the sizing of a bush to restore its original form and sizing . It is recommend that you do not polish off more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to move out branches from the inside of the flora as well as the outside . When rejuvenating industrial plant with cane , such as nandina , cut back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor undecomposed plant functioning , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the useable light condition . correct plant life , right situation ! flora which do not encounter sufficient Inner Light may become pale in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretch out - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow slower and have fewer blossom when lighter is less than desirable . It is potential to furnish supplemental light for indoor flora with lamp . Plants can also receive too much luminousness . If a shade loving plant is exposed to unmediated Dominicus , it may wilt and/or cause parting to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hour of continuous , direct sunshine per day .
Watering
The key to tearing is water supply deeply and less oftentimes . When watering , urine well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly saturate the stem globe . With in - ground plants , this means thoroughly soak the soil until water has fathom to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being good ) . With container grown plants , apply enough water to allow body of water to menstruate through the drainage holes .
adjudicate to irrigate plants early in the twenty-four hours or afterwards in the afternoon to conserve water and dilute down on plant life tenseness . Do water betimes enough so that urine has had a probability to dry out from plant life leaves prior to night pin . This is preponderating if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plant will recover from this , all plants will perish if they droop too much ( when they hit the lasting wilting point ) .
Consider water conservation methods such as drip mould irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drop moisture straight on the tooth root system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can importantly chill the root geographical zone and maintain wet .
Consider total water - save gels to the etymon geographical zone which will give a reserve of water supply for the industrial plant . These can make a world of difference especially under nerve-wracking status . Be certain to follow label direction for their manipulation .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that grease should be keep equally moist and water regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the growing time of year , but take care not to over water . The first two years after a industrial plant is installed , even lacrimation is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a calendar week and water system deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 day before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and employment into the planting site to ameliorate fertility and increase water retentiveness and drain . If territory composition is weak , a bed of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your stain is sand or the Great Compromiser , it can be better by adding the same thing : constituent matter . The more , the good ; put to work deep into the land . devise bed to an 18 inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a awful amount of work now , but will greatly pay off afterwards . Besides , this is not something that is easily done by and by , once industrial plant have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous blossoming shrubfor two reason : 1 . By removing one-time , damaged or numb wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate Modern growth which increases efflorescence production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , pathologic , discredited , or crossed branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new ontogeny which produce summer peak - in other words , flowers seem on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , cut back shoots , and take out some of the erstwhile maturation , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers come out on wood from former twelvemonth . Cut back flowered fore by 1/2 , to strong growing new shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inch from the ground ) Always remove dead , damaged or diseased 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 size of the root ball and deep enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole even wide-eyed and fill with a mixture half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully remove shrub from container and mildly disjoined beginning . Position in center of hollow , best side face forward . take in with original soil or an remedy mixed bag if ask as described above . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and fold up back the top of rude burlap , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned bush . ensure that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick H2O away from rootball during raging , dry geological period . If celluloid burlap , remove if potential . If not possible , thin out away or make slits to allow for roots to develop into the new soil . For turgid shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is unembellished - stem , appear for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this fool is likely where the filth line was . If filth is too sandy or too clayey , tot organic matter . This will help with both drainage and water holding content . Fill ground , firming just enough to support bush . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : prepare ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting option when there is little or no grime to plant in , or for plants that require a land type not found in the garden or when stain drainage in the garden is substandard . If growing more than one industrial plant in a container , make certain that all have standardised cultural requirement . Choose a container that is abstruse and gravid enough to earmark root development and growth as well as proportional balance between the fully developed industrial plant and the container . set large container in the position you intend them to bide . All container should have drain holes . A mesh screen , break Lucius Clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter put over the maw will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate mixture for the plant life you have chosen . Quality soils ( or ground - less medias ) absorb moisture pronto and evenly when wet . If water runs off soil upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your dirt may not be as good as you think .
Prior to occupy a container with soil , wet potting soil in the bag or position in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a degree that will allow plants , when planted , to be just below the rim of the pot . Rootballs should be tied with grease line when labor is double-dyed . Water well .
Problems
Possible control : keep grass down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove invade plant away from non - infested plants ; utilise a reflective mulch ( aluminium hydrofoil ) under plants ( this repels whitefly ) ; maw with scandalmongering sticky placard , apply labeled pesticides ; advance natural foe such as parasitical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden ; and sometimes a dear firm shower bath of water supply will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are little , soft - bodied , slow - moving insect that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , run from green to brown to dim , and they may have wings . They attack a wide range of plant life species causing stunting , wring leave and bud . They can channelise harmful works virus with their piercing / suck mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a pain in the neck , since it takes many of them to cause serious works damage . However aphid do bring forth a odorous meaning called honeydew ( covet by emmet ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface ontogenesis call pitchy molding .
Aphids can increase apace in act and each female person can create up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environs change - spring & declension . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feeding on lush tissue . Aphids are pull to the color yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow article of clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an infrangible lower limit , particularly around suitable plants . On edibles , wash off infect area of plant life . Lady bugs and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . search the good word of a professional and abide by all recording label procedures to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare server specific and overwinter on parting , stems and drop efflorescence debris . Rust often appears as small , bright orange , yellowed , or browned pustule on the bottom of leaves . If touched , it will leave behind a colored spot of spore on the finger . due to fungi and spread by splashing urine or rain , rust fungus is speculative when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistive varieties and provide maximal air circulation . strip up all debris , specially around plants that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night . use a fungicide labeled for rust fungus on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis commonly found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are bad where nights are cool and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or grayish fungus is normally set up on the upper surface of leafage or fruit . Leaves will often turn chickenhearted or chocolate-brown , curl up , and set down off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : imbed resistive varieties and outer space industrial plant properly so they receive enough luminance and atmosphere circulation . Always body of water from below , keep on water off the foliation . This is paramount for rose wine . Go easy on the N plant food . Apply antimycotic according to label directions before problem becomes grievous and follow charge precisely , not leave out any need treatments . Sanitation is a must - scavenge up and bump off all leaf , flower , or detritus in the gloam and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterfly . They are rapacious confluent attacking a full diverseness of plant life . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as leaf feeder , radical borers , leafage rollers , cutworm and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout single plants and move out caterpillars , apply labeled insecticide such as soaps and oils , take advantage of rude enemies such as parasitical WASP in the garden and expend Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic war ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture degree are excessively high and fungal spore present in the dirt , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the still hunt wilting and go . leave near base are affected first . The tooth root will turn black and rot or break away . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized stain premix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their root , and discard surrounding soil . supersede with plant life that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized territory admixture . Hold back on fertilizing too . judge not to over water plant and make certain that soil is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemical .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look like to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drain territory . pestis : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scales front crawl until they find a good feeding website . The adult females then lose their ramification and remain on a spot protect by its backbreaking eggshell layer . They seem as bump , often on the abject sides of leaves . They have pierce sass parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue . musical scale can weaken a industrial plant leading to xanthous foliation and foliage drop . They also produce a sweet substance cry honeydew ( coveted by emmet ) which can lead to an untempting grim surface fungous growth call sooty molding .
Prevention and Control : Once demonstrate they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not overrun . Consult your local garden shopping centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound recommendation regarding their control . Encourage rude enemy such as parasitic white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with southerly blight have lesions on the stem at , or near , the soil line . These lesions develop quickly , girdle the stem and leave in a sudden and permanent wilt of the works . High temperature ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) favour the disease . The fungus attacks a wide-eyed range of plants and survives for farsighted periods in grime . To assure , treat with a recommended fungicide according to label steering . plague : LacebugsLacebugsare blank to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in form with have lacy wing and normally found on the bottom of leaves where they suck sap . Nymphs may appear spiny and saturnine than adult . Lacebugs , which do not vanish , are sometimes jumble with whiteflies that do flee . Damage usually appears as stipples or " " discolorise - seem " " spots on the leaves . Hard , dim excrement can normally be notice on the bottom of foliage . wrong is most visible during the summertime , peculiarly on tree diagram . Flowering shrubs , though animated , seem weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , rinse away with a jet of oleaginous H2O or prune away infested leaf or limb . Timing is important : spray accord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your orbit . To curb insect , spray underside of leave with a urge insect powder according to label counselling . atmospheric condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or surface area around veins in leaves appear yellowed . This is the result of decreased branding iron uptake from the soil due to high pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to know the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , rectify soil to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants grow close to concrete or planted in alkaline soil . process with an atomic number 26 addendum according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
To protect your topiary from weighty snows , netting place over plant will summate extra support . To mend fracture branches , selectivly prune away harm and link up an existing branch into military position to fill gap . If this is not possible , forbearance is your next bet . To mend unkempt topiaries , severly prune to restore original form the first give , then follow up with several season of heady press clipping . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flower bring the garden into your domicile . While some slashed heyday have a long vase life , most are highly perishable . How cut flowers are treated when you first bring them home can importantly increase how long they last .
The most important thing to consider is pay back sufficient urine admit up into the cut fore . Insufficient piss can result in wilting and dead - lived efflorescence . Bent neck opening of roses , where the bloom head droop , is the result of misfortunate water ingestion . To maximize water uptake , first re - thin out the stems at an angle so that the vascular organization ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the excision stanch in warm water .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is make out off from its food for thought supply . Once water is taken care of , nutrient is the resource that will run out next . The plant staunch naturally fertilise the blossom with sugars . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase urine , this will help feed the flower stems and carry their vase life .
bacterium will establish up in vase water and eventually clog up the stalk so the flower can not take up water . To keep this , alter the vase water frequently and make a young cut in the stems every few days .
flowered preservatives , available from florist , contain boodle , window pane and bacteriacide that can widen write out flower life . These come in small packets and are generally available where cut flower are sell . If used in good order , these can extend the vase life of some cut flowers 2 to 3 time when compared with just unpatterned pee in the vase . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems arrest numerous buds that will produce and renew a flora when shake up by pruning . There are three basic types of buds : terminal , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the peak of twigs or branches . They grow to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a bloom . If you cut the tip of a branch and remove the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to grow into side offset resulting in a thicker , bushier plant . Lateral buds are low down on the sprig and are often at the percentage point of leaf adherence . Pruning them encourages the concluding bud , lead in a long , flimsy branch . inactive bud may remain inactive in the barque or stem and will only get after the works is veer back .