The Occidentale Hybrids are the product chiefly 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 excellent choice for a West Coast garden . marvelous , unsloped , deciduous bush that is cold hardy down to -12 degree F. Leaves are elliptic to oblong , glossy , medium green , 1 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches long . Leaf undersides are glaucous . Flowers are borne in large , showy truss in mid - spring just after the leaves emerge . The deciduous azalea is known for superb surrender color and unsurpassed spring prime . It is usually less finicky about soil term , though it too prefers well - drained and acid conditions . Though azalea have a potentially orotund tilt of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble free if planted right in proper cultural conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and shade patterns change during the day . The western side of a menage may even be umbrageous due to shadow sick by large tree diagram or a structure from an neighboring property . If you have just bought a newfangled home or just get to garden in your older home , take time to map sun and tad throughout the day . You will get a more accurate feel for your site ’s unfeigned light conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that favour partially fly-by-night stipulation , filtered lightis ideal . effective planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree that lets some light through their branches or beneath taller industrial plant that will provide some trade protection . consideration : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often dawning sunlight , because it is not as strong as good afternoon sunshine , can be considered part Lord’s Day or part shade . If you live in an field that does not get much vivid Dominicus , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be hunky-dory . In other area such as Florida , plant in a location where afternoon shade will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to take up their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sun , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vivacious . country on the southerly and western sides of construction ordinarily are the sunniest . The only elision is when houses or construction are so close together , shadows are cast from neighboring holding . Full sun normally means 6 or more hours of lineal unobstructed sunlight on a cheery daytime . Partial Sunday receives less than 6 time of day of sunlight , but more than 3 hours . Plants able-bodied to take full sun in some climates may only be capable to permit part sun in other climates . Know the culture of the works before you buy and establish it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young works to promote branching . Doing this quash the need for more severe pruning later on .
cutting involves withdraw whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the inside of a industrial plant to let more luminosity in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on industrial plant disease . The best way to begin cutting is to start by slay beat or diseased woods .
Shearing is leveling the airfoil of a bush using hand or electric shear . This is done to assert the trust shape of a hedge or topiary .
rejuvenate is removal of erstwhile branches or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original form and size . It is recommend that you do not take away more than one third of a plant at a clock time . Remember to polish off branches from the interior of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenate plants with cane , such as nandina , cut back canes at various stature so that industrial plant will have a more natural look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is suitable to match the correct plant with the available light-colored status . ripe plant , right place ! plant which do not experience sufficient igniter may become pale in color , have few leaves and a " leggy " stretch out - out appearance . Also expect flora to get ho-hum and have few salad days when light is less than desirable . It is possible to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plant with lamps . Plants can also receive too much brightness level . If a nicety loving plant is endanger to direct Dominicus , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as picture to more than 6 hours of continuous , direct sun per day .
Watering
The key to lacrimation is water deeply and less frequently . When lacrimation , weewee well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ball . With in - ground plants , this intend thoroughly soaking the soil until weewee has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 in ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , apply enough water to provide H2O to flow through the drain holes .
endeavor to water plants early in the daylight or later in the good afternoon to maintain body of water and thin out down on works tenseness . Do pee early enough so that pee has had a hazard to dry out from plant leaves prior to dark fall . This is preponderant if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t hold back to pee until works droop . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they droop too much ( when they give the permanent wilting stop ) .
regard water preservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip organization which slowly drop moisture straightaway on the origin system can be purchased at your local home and garden inwardness . mulch can importantly cool down the ancestor zone and conserve moisture .
Consider add up piddle - saving gels to the root geographical zone which will hold a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a human race of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be sure to follow label direction for their use .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of water a calendar week during the growing time of year , but take forethought not to over water . The first two years after a plant is installed , regular watering is important for organisation . The first year is decisive . It is honorable to water once a week and water deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , impart 2 to 4 in of older manure or compost and work into the planting land site to improve fertility and increase water memory and drainage . If soil composition is watery , a stratum of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or cadaver , it can be meliorate by summate the same matter : organic subject . The more , the well ; work deeply into the grime . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later on . Besides , this is not something that is easily done after , once plants have been establish . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing old , discredited or dead wood , you increase strain stream , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new increment which increase flower output .
Pruning deciduous bush can be divided into 4 radical : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only idle , morbid , discredited , or crossed branches , can be done in former spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , raw growth which produces summertime flowers - in other words , flower appear on new wood);summer prune after flower(after flowering , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on wood from former year . Cut back bloom stems by 1/2 , to strong growing fresh shoots and bump off 1/2 of the flowered stems a twosome of inches from the reason ) Always remove dead , damaged or pathological Mrs. Henry Wood first , no matter what case of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . natural 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 trap twice the size of it of the ascendent ball and deep enough to implant at the same level the bush was in the container . If stain is pitiable , dig hole even wider and fill with a mixture half original dirt and one-half compost or dirt amendment .
cautiously polish off shrub from container and lightly separate base . Position in center of hole , respectable side facing forward . Fill in with original dirt or an better mixture if necessitate as describe above . For large shrubs , build a water system well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the works is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and close back the top of born gunny , tuck it down into mess , after you ’ve positioned bush . check that that all gunny is sink so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during hot , dry periods . If synthetic burlap , remove if possible . If not potential , cut away or make slits to allow for root to grow into the newfangled soil . For larger bush , build a pee well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is bare - root , look for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this mark is potential where the soil descent was . If soil is too sandlike or too clayey , add organic matter . This will help with both drainage and urine holding capacity . Fill dirt , firming just enough to support bush . Finish by mulch and watering well .
Problems
Possible control : keep weeds down ; use sort in window to keep them out ; remove infest plants off from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( atomic number 13 transparency ) under works ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow sticky cards , use tag pesticides ; encourage born enemy such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of urine will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are modest , soft - bodied , tardily - move insects that suck fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , crop from unripened to brown to bootleg , and they may have wing . They attack a wide orbit of plant species causing aerobatics , deform leaves and bud . They can transmit harmful flora virus with their piercing / suck mouthparts . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can top to an unattractive inglorious Earth’s surface growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in issue and each female can create up to 250 hot nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often seem when the environment exchange - spring & crepuscle . They ’re often massed at the hint of branches feed in on succulent tissue . Aphids are attracted to the colour yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute minimum , especially around desirable plants . On victuals , wash off infected area of plant life . Lady microbe and lacewings will fertilise on aphids in the garden . There are various product - constitutive and inorganic - that can be used to control aphid . look for the recommendation of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a teeing ground . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaf , stanch and spent flower debris . Rust often appears as small , bright orangish , yellow , or browned pustule on the bottom of leaf . If partake , it will leave alone a colorful spot of spore on the finger . due to fungi and spread by splashing water or rain , rust is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : engraft insubordinate miscellany and allow maximum air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a trouble . Do not irrigate from overhead and water system only during the daylight so that plants will have enough sentence to dry before dark . hold a antimycotic agent labeled for rusting on your industrial plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plant that do not have enough zephyr circulation or passable light . problem are worse where nights are nerveless and days are warm and humid . The powdery white or hoary fungus is ordinarily find oneself on the upper aerofoil of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often turn sensationalistic or browned , curl up , and knock off off . New leaf come forth crinkled and misrepresented . Fruit will be dwarfed and often strike down early .
Prevention and Control : embed resistant varieties and space industrial plant properly so they receive adequate lighting and air circulation . Always water from below , keeping water supply off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the atomic number 7 fertilizer . hold fungicides according to label directions before trouble becomes severe and follow directions exactly , not omit any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and take away all leaves , flower , or rubble in the fall and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature kind of moths and butterflies . They are esurient feeder attacking a wide multifariousness of industrial plant . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , prow borers , folio roller , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep weed down , scout individual plants and remove caterpillars , utilise labeled insecticides such as liquid ecstasy and crude oil , take advantage of natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet levels are excessively high and fungous spores present in the soil , amount in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stem discolor and shrink , and leave further up the angry walk wilt and die . leave-taking near stand are affected first . The roots will turn contraband and rot or break . This fungus kingdom can be preface by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected industrial plant and their roots , and discard surrounding soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil admixture . Hold back on fertilise too . taste not to over water plants and ensure that grease is well drained prior to imbed . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms see similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are because of fungi or bacterium . browned or black spot and patch may be either ragged or circular , with a piss soaked or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rainwater , marked-up garden tools , or even mass can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : murder infect leave-taking when the plant life is teetotal . Leaves that pile up around the al-Qa’ida of the plant should be raked up and disposed of . invalidate overhead irrigation if possible ; pee should be directed at grunge level . For fungal leafage touch , utilize a recommended fungicide according to label directions .
Fungi : Black SpotA known go up disease , Black Spotappears on young leaves as irregular bootleg circles , often having a yellow halo . Circles or spore colonies may grow to 1/2 in in diameter . Leaves will rick yellow and set down off , only to grow more leaves that will follow the same pattern . rose may not make it through the winter if black spot is severe . The fungus will also bear upon the size and timbre of flowers .
Prevention and Control : institute insubordinate variety for your orbit . Always body of water from the footing , never overhead . practise estimable sanitization - clean up and ruin debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . When dress roses , even deadheading , inclination trimmer in a bleach / water root after each cut . If a flora seems to have chronic inglorious spot , get rid of it . A 2 - 3 inch thick bed of mulch at the base of works reduce splashing . Do not await until black daub is a immense trouble to control ! Start betimes . Spray with a fungicide label for grim spot on roses . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , refer to mealy bug , that can be a trouble on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outside . youthful scales crawl until they detect a practiced eating internet site . The adult females then mislay their wooden leg and remain on a spotlight protected by its hard shell level . They appear as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaf . They have piercing rima oris parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a plant lead to yellow leaf and folio drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ant ) which can lead to an unattractive black control surface fungous ontogeny called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once plant they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infest . Consult your local garden centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound recommendation regarding their ascendence . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden . disease : southerly BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the root word at , or near , the ground melodic phrase . These wound develop quickly , girdle the stem and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilting of the flora . High temperature ( above 85 point F , 29 degrees C ) favor the disease . The fungus attacks a broad range of plants and survives for long periods in dirt . To check , treat with a recommended antifungal agent according to recording label directions . pestilence : LacebugsLacebugsare whitened to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , rectangular in build with have lacy offstage and usually found on the undersurface of folio where they suck sap . Nymphs may seem spiny and darker than adult . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do fly . Damage ordinarily come along as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " spots on the farewell . Hard , bleak excretion can unremarkably be found on the underside of leaves . Damage is most visible during the summertime , specially on trees . Flowering bush , though alive , appear weak and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash off with a jet of soapy H2O or prune forth infested leafage or limbs . Timing is crucial : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To see insects , spray underside of foliage with a recommended insecticide according to recording label directions . term : ChlorosisEntire leaves or domain around mineral vein in foliage look chickenhearted . This is the result of fall iron uptake from the dirt due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is authoritative to get it on the pH requirements of plant life . Prior to planting , amend grunge to ameliorate drainage and correct pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in works farm close to concrete or implant in alkaline grime . Treat with an iron supplement according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
Although many people believe that cool temperature are responsible for the semblance modification , the atmospheric condition has nothing to do with it at all . As the days mature shorter and the nights longer , a chemical substance clock inside the Tree start up , releasing a hormone which restricts the flow of sap to each folio . As declination procession , the sap flow slows and chlorophyll , the chemical that gives the leaves their green color in the spring and summertime , disappears . The residual sap becomes more hard as it dries , creating the colors of fall . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not mean no maintenance . It does mean that once a plant is found , very little needs to be done in the fashion of water , fertilizing , pruning , or intervention in orderliness for the plant to remain healthy and attractive . A well - design garden , which take your modus vivendi into consideration , can greatly concentrate maintenance . Glossary : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to implant in a random pattern , much as itwould come about in nature . If you expend any prison term in the woods , you ’ve in all probability mark that plants often turn in groups . The center of the group is thick and towards the edges , works are located farther apart . Narcissus bulb are promiscuous to naturalise if you use this method : fill a bucketful with bulb and toss them out . imbed them where they precipitate . You will notice a portion of the bulbs are tightlipped together while the others have scattered farther forth . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a tree diagram , shrub , soil covering , annual , or perennial that is unique in comparison to the surrounding industrial plant . Uniqueness may be in colour , flesh , texture , or sizing . By using only one specimen plant in a visual orbit , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are accents in the landscape , just as statues , body of water lineament , or arbors . Glossary : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those plants that lose their folio or needle at the end of the grow season . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : cause prime that last for an drawn-out period of time . Some plants may have the appearance of providing long live blossom because they are fertile , repeat bloomers . gloss : pHpH , means the potential of Hydrogen , is the measure of alkalinity or acidulousness . In horticulture , pH refers to the pH of soil . The weighing machine measures from 0 , most sulphurous , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is neutral . Most plants favour a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an virulent cooking stove , but there are plenty of other plants that like soil more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the works can most easy absorb the most nutrient in the stain . Some plant life favor more or less of certain food , and therefore do advantageously at a sure pH.Glossary : big ShrubA shrub is considered large when it is over 6 substructure tall . gloss : Landscape UsesBy searching Landscape Uses , you will be able-bodied to pinpoint plants that are best suit for fussy uses such as trellises , border plantings , or foundations . Glossary : U. S. NativesNative plants demand lower maintenance and commonly have less pest trouble . They are key component in the xeriphytic landscape painting and backyard wildlife habitat . Select your region and the lookup will look for all plants in the database that are aboriginal to your area . How - to : catch the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flowers bring in the garden into your dwelling house . While some gelded bloom have a long vase life , most are highly perishable . How cut flowers are treat when you first work them home can importantly increase how long they last .
The most important thing to view is getting sufficient water take up into the deletion stem . deficient water can result in wilting and short - subsist flowers . Bent neck opening of rose wine , where the flower head teacher droops , is the outcome of poor piddle uptake . To maximize water intake , first re - reduce the stem at an slant so that the vascular scheme ( the " " plumbery " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stems in warm water .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is shorten off from its food supply . Once water is taken care of , food is the resource that will run out next . The plants stems naturally feed the flower with sugars . If you tote up a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help feed the flower stanch and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and finally clog up the stem so the blossom can not take up water . To preclude this , change the vase urine frequently and make a young cutting in the stems every few days .
flowered preservatives , uncommitted from florists , contain gelt , pane and bacteriacides that can extend cut flower biography . These come in in low mailboat and are loosely usable where cut of meat flowers are sold . If used the right way , these can extend the vase living of some shortened blossom 2 to 3 metre when compared with just plain water in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s power to tolerate exposure to an outside condition(s ) . It does not think that the industrial plant thrives or choose this situation , but is capable to adapt and continue its liveliness cycle . gloss : VirusesViruses , which are little than bacteria , are not living and do not duplicate on their own . They must swear on the cellular mechanisms of their hosts to duplicate . Because this greatly disrupts the mobile phone ’s functionality , outward signs of a viral infection termination in a plant disease with symptom such as abnormal or scrawny growth , damage fruit , discolouration or office .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carriers such as aphid , leafhoppers , and thrips under control . These industrial plant feeding insects spread virus . virus can also be introduced by infected pollen or through plant openings ( as when clip ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plants should be control , as well as tools and existing industrial plant . Use only licence source that is deem disease - spare . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crops , not establish nearly related plants in the same area every yr . gloss : Growth BudsPlant stem contain numerous bud that will grow and reincarnate a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three canonic types of buds : concluding , sidelong and abeyant . Terminal buds are at the tip of twigs or arm . They grow to make the branch or branchlet longer . In some cases they may give rise to a flower . If you prune the tip of a offshoot and remove the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to maturate into side branch resulting in a thicker , bushier plant . Lateral buds are downcast down on the sprig and are often at the point of folio attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a long , tenuous branch . Dormant bud may stay dormant in the bark or stem and will only grow after the plant is cut back . Glossary : FertilizeFertilize just before new growth begins with a ended plant food . gloss : PruningNow is the preferred time to prune this industrial plant .
