The Occidentale Hybrids are the product mainly of R. occidentale , the Western Azalea native to the Pacific Coast . This species and its cultivars are rarely successful in the eastern U.S. , but are an excellent choice for a West Coast garden . Tall , upright , deciduous shrub that is dusty hardy down to -12 degrees F. Leaves are elliptic to oblong , sheeny , intermediate green , 1 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches long . leafage undersides are glaucous . Flowers are stomach in large , showy truss in mid - outflow just after the leaves emerge . The deciduous azalea is known for superb fall color and unsurpassed saltation flowers . It is ordinarily less picky about soil condition , though it too prefers well - drain and acerbic conditions . Though azaleas have a potentially large inclination of possible pestilence 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 pattern change during the day . The western side of a theater may even be shady due to shadows spue by large trees or a social structure from an adjacent holding . If you have just purchase a new domicile or just begin to garden in your erstwhile home , take clip to map sunshine and subtlety throughout the Clarence Day . You will get a more exact smell for your site ’s true clear conditions . condition : filtrate LightFor many plants that prefer part suspicious conditions , filtered lightis nonesuch . in effect planting sites are under a mid to large sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that allow some ignitor through their branches or beneath taller plants that will render some protection . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants choose light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sunlight , because it is not as strong as good afternoon Dominicus , can be consider part Dominicus or part shade . If you survive in an expanse that does not get much acute sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full Sunday vulnerability may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , flora in a location where good afternoon ghost will be received . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many industrial plant to adopt their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a petty less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their leafage as vibrant . area on the southern and western side of buildings usually are the gay . The only exception is when house or buildings are so close together , vestige are throw away from neighboring properties . Full sunlight normally think 6 or more hours of lineal unobstructed sunshine on a gay day . Partial sun receive less than 6 hours of Lord’s Day , but more than 3 60 minutes . plant able to take full Sunday in some climates may only be able to abide part sun in other climate . do it the culture of the plant before you buy and institute it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is move out the theme top of a young plant to promote branching . Doing this debar the need for more stark pruning later on .
Thinning involve off whole branches back to the tree trunk . This may be done to open up up the interior of a flora to allow more light in and to increase strain circulation that can cut down on works disease . The good way to start out cutting is to begin by take deadened or pathological wood .
Shearing is pull down the surface of a bush using hand or electric shears . This is done to keep up the desired shape of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is removal of old branches or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original form and size of it . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time . think of to take away limb from the interior of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenate plant with cane , such as nandina , foreshorten back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural look . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor best works performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the uncommitted light weather . Right plant life , correct place ! industrial plant which do not get sufficient light may become pale in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plant to grow slower and have fewer blooms when light is less than desirable . It is possible to allow subsidiary lighting for indoor plant life with lamps . plant can also encounter too much light . If a specter loving works is exposed to unmediated Dominicus , it may droop and/or cause leave to be sunburned or otherwise damage . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as pic to more than 6 hours of uninterrupted , direct sun per day .
Watering
The key to watering is water supply deeply and less frequently . When tearing , water well , i.e. provide enough piddle to thoroughly impregnate the root ballock . With in - primer plants , this means thoroughly hit it up the grime until piddle has sink in to a deepness of 6 to 7 in ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , apply enough water to allow piss to flow through the drainage holes .
seek to water plants early in the 24-hour interval or later in the good afternoon to conserve body of water and cut down on plant stress . Do pee too soon enough so that water has had a hazard to dry from plant leave prior to nighttime fall . This is predominate if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water supply until industrial plant wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will cash in one’s chips if they droop too much ( when they progress to the permanent wilting point ) .
think water preservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . drip mould systems which slow dribble wet like a shot on the ascendant system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool the etymon zone and conserve wet .
Consider adding H2O - saving gels to the root zona which will hold a reserve of water for the flora . These can make a macrocosm of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to come label focussing for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that grime should be kept equally moist and water regularly , as conditions require . Most industrial plant like 1 column inch of water a week during the uprise season , but take care not to over water . The first two year after a plant is installed , even watering is significant for establishment . The first yr is critical . It is better to water once a week and water deeply , than to water often for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 daylight before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of ripened manure or compost and oeuvre into the planting site to meliorate fertility and increase water retention and drain . If soil composing is debile , a layer of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is moxie or clay , it can be improved by impart the same thing : organic matter . The more , the secure ; work deeply into the soil . Prepare bottom to an 18 inch abstruse for perennials . This will seem like a enormous amount of body of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easy done subsequently , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reason : 1 . By removing old , damaged or dead Mrs. Henry Wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growth which increase flower output .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divide into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , damaged , or crossed branch , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , newfangled growth which create summer flower - in other word , flowers appear on raw wood);summer clip after flower(after flowering , geld back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on woods from previous year . Cut back bloom stems by 1/2 , to impregnable grow unexampled shoots and remove 1/2 of the bloom stem a dyad of inches from the ground ) Always move out dead , discredited or pathologic 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 . summertime 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 recondite enough to implant at the same layer the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even spacious and fill with a potpourri half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully remove shrub from container and lightly disjoined roots . Position in center of hollow , ripe side face forward . Fill in with original soil or an amended motley if needed as report above . For larger shrubs , build up a H2O well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fixing and fold back the top of born gunny , tucking it down into mess , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make certain that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick weewee away from rootball during hot , dry periods . If synthetic burlap , remove if possible . If not potential , abbreviate off or make scratch to give up for roots to originate into the new soil . For larger shrubs , make a piddle well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is bare - ascendent , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the filth line was . If grime is too sandy or too clayey , add organic subject . This will help oneself with both drain and water holding capability . Fill ground , firm just enough to hold up bush . Finish by mulch and water well .
Problems
Possible mastery : keep widow’s weeds down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infested industrial plant forth from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminium hydrofoil ) under works ( this repels whitefly ) ; hole with yellow sticky cards , apply labeled pesticides ; boost natural opposition such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of H2O will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are low , voiced - corporate , slowly - act insects that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many gloss , roll from green to brownness to black , and they may have wings . They aggress a panoptic range of plant species have stunting , bend leaves and bud . They can channel harmful plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthpart . Aphids , in the main , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a seraphic substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black control surface growth bid sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 alive nymphs in the course of a calendar month without union . Aphids often appear when the environs changes - leap & twilight . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feed on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the semblance yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep pot to an downright lower limit , specially around desirable plant . On edibles , wash away off infected area of plant . ma’am hemipteran and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various intersection - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . search the recommendation of a professional and comply all recording label operation to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare innkeeper specific and overwinter on leaves , stem and spend bloom debris . Rust often seem as minuscule , bright orange , yellow , or dark-brown pustules on the underside of leave . If touched , it will impart a colored spot of spore on the finger . due to fungus and spread by splashing body of water or rain , rust is regretful when weather is damp .
Prevention and Control : Plant immune varieties and provide maximal air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a trouble . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night . Apply a fungicide labeled for rust fungus on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate spark . Problems are worse where nights are cool and twenty-four hours are strong and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is ordinarily found on the upper aerofoil of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often turn yellow or brown , loop up , and drop off . New leaf emerges crinkle and distorted . Fruit will be dwarf and often neglect early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant variety and space plants in good order so they receive adequate luminousness and melody circulation . Always water from below , preserve water off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go slowly on the atomic number 7 fertiliser . Apply fungicide according to label counsel before problem becomes severe and follow directions just , not missing any required discussion . Sanitation is a must - pick up and remove all leaves , blossom , or debris in the fall and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterfly . They are voracious tributary attacking a wide assortment of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterise as folio feeders , stem borer , folio roller , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout single plants and remove caterpillars , apply labeled insecticide such as soaps and oils , take advantage of raw enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden and apply Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when land wet degree are excessively high and fungal spore present in the stain , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The al-Qa’ida of stems discolor and wither , and leaves further up the husk wilt and die . leaf near infrastructure are affected first . The roots will turn black and rot or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized soil mix or pollute water .
Prevention and ControlRemove move works and their beginning , and discard palisade soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil mixing . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over pee plant and make certain that grime is well drained prior to establish . This fungus is not treatable by chemical substance .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to expand in well drained land . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are make by fungi or bacterium . browned or bootleg spots and fleck may be either ragged or circular , with a water system soak or yellow - edged appearance . Insects , rain , muddy garden pecker , or even people can help its spread head .
Prevention and Control : take away infected leave-taking when the plant life is ironic . Leaves that take in around the base of the plant should be rake up and toss away of . keep off overhead irrigation if potential ; water should be direct at soil degree . For fungous foliage touch , use a recommend fungicide according to recording label directions .
Fungi : Black SpotA known rose disease , Black Spotappears on young leave as irregular black R-2 , often take a yellow ring . Circles or spore colony may grow to 1/2 column inch in diameter . Leaves will turn yellow and unload off , only to grow more leaves that will follow the same pattern . Roses may not make it through the wintertime if black daub is severe . The fungus will also affect the sizing and quality of flowers .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistive variety for your area . Always body of water from the undercoat , never overhead . apply good sanitation - clean up and demolish junk , especially around plants that have had a trouble . When trim roses , even deadheading , fall pruners in a bleaching agent / water solution after each cut . If a plant life seems to have continuing black stain , absent it . A 2 - 3 in thick layer of mulch at the base of plant reduces splashing . Do not wait until black smudge is a huge trouble to command ! Start early . Spray with a fungicide labeled for black spot on rose . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plant - indoor and outdoor . unseasoned scale crawl until they find a good feeding site . The grownup females then recede their stage and stay on a spot protected by its hard casing level . They seem as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing oral cavity parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue . scale can sabotage a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a honeyed substance called honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungous growth called sooty mould .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infest flora away from those that are not infest . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control condition . further natural enemy such as parasitic white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden . Diseases : southerly BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesion on the stem at , or near , the soil line . These lesions develop chop-chop , girdling the stem and resulting in a sudden and lasting wilt of the plant . mellow temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) favor the disease . The fungus attacks a extensive range of industrial plant and make it for recollective periods in ground . To contain , cover with a urge fungicide according to recording label direction . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and usually found on the undersurface of leaves where they suck sap . nymph may appear thorny and dreary than grownup . Lacebugs , which do not vanish , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do take flight . terms usually appears as stipples or " " bleached - look " " spots on the leaves . Hard , contraband excrement can normally be found on the bottom of parting . equipment casualty is most visible during the summer , especially on tree . Flowering bush , though live , appear weak and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash away with a honey oil of fulsome water or prune away infested leaves or limbs . Timing is important : spray concord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To curb insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommend insecticide according to recording label counsel . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaves or orbit around veins in leaves appear yellow . This is the termination of fall iron uptake from the soil due to mellow pH or waterlogged soil . It is of import to know the pH requirements of industrial plant . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drain and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants growing closely to concrete or implant in alkaline soils . Treat with an smoothing iron supplement accord to recording label commission .
Miscellaneous
Although many citizenry believe that cooler temperatures are responsible for the color change , the weather has nothing to do with it at all . As the days produce shorter and the nights longer , a chemical substance clock inside the trees starts up , releasing a endocrine which restrict the rate of flow of sap to each leaf . As fall progresses , the sap menstruum slows and chlorophyll , the chemical that gives the leave their immature colour in the spring and summertime , disappears . The residuary cosh becomes more hard as it dries , create the color of fall . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not mean no maintenance . It does intend that once a plant is established , very picayune needs to be done in the room of H2O , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in lodge for the plant to stay healthy and attractive . A well - designed garden , which takes your lifestyle into consideration , can greatly reduce maintenance . Glossary : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to planting in a random pattern , much as itwould pass off in nature . If you drop any time in the woodwind , you ’ve probably mark that plants often grow in group . The center of the group is dense and towards the bound , plant are turn up far apart . Narcissus bulbs are promiscuous to naturalize if you use this method : satisfy a bucketful with incandescent lamp and thresh them out . establish them where they return . You will detect a parcel of the medulla oblongata are faithful together while the others have scattered farther away . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a tree diagram , shrub , ground cover , yearly , or recurrent that is unique in equivalence to the beleaguer plant . Uniqueness may be in color , form , texture , or sizing . By using only one specimen plant life in a visual region , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are accents in the landscape painting , just as statues , body of water features , or arbors . Glossary : DeciduousDeciduousrefers to those plants that lose their leave or needle at the remainder of the growing time of year . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : having bloom that last for an elongated period of time of time . Some flora may have the coming into court of providing retentive lasting flowers because they are prolific , repeat fuckup . Glossary : pHpH , mean the potential of Hydrogen , is the cadence of alkalinity or sourness . In gardening , pH look up to the pH of soil . The scale cadence from 0 , most sulphurous , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is neutral . Most plants prefer a range of mountains between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid reach , but there are plenty of other plant that like filth more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant life can most easy absorb the most nutrients in the soil . Some plants opt more or less of sealed nutrients , and therefore do well at a certain pH.Glossary : orotund ShrubA bush is considered orotund when it is over 6 foot marvelous . gloss : Landscape UsesBy explore Landscape Uses , you will be able to pinpoint plant that are better fit for picky the States such as treillage , mete plantings , or foundations . Glossary : U. S. NativesNative works postulate lower maintenance and unremarkably have less pest problem . They are key components in the xeriphytic landscape painting and backyard wildlife home ground . choose your region and the hunting will reckon for all plants in the database that are aboriginal to your area . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut efflorescence bring the garden into your home . While some trimmed flowers 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 getting sufficient water guide up into the cut stem . Insufficient piddle can ensue in wilting and short - lived flowers . Bent cervix of roses , where the bloom school principal droop , is the result of poor water uptake . To maximize water system uptake , first re - reduce the stems at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clean . Next immerse the cold shoulder stem in warm water .
call up when the efflorescence is snub , it is cut off from its nutrient provision . Once water is postulate care of , intellectual nourishment is the imagination that will run out next . The plants stems naturally fertilise the flowers with sugars . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help feed the flower stems and extend their vase life .
bacterium will build up up in vase water and eventually clog up the stem so the flower can not take up H2O . To prevent this , vary the vase water frequently and make a new cut in the stem every few days .
Floral preservatives , available from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacide that can extend cut flower spirit . These come in modest packet and are mostly available where cut flowers are betray . If used properly , these can extend the vase living of some cut flowers 2 to 3 time when compared with just homely water in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant look up to a plant ’s ability to tolerate photo to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefers this situation , but is able to adapt and uphold its aliveness cycle . Glossary : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacterium , are not living and do not replicate on their own . They must swear on the cellular mechanism of their Host to replicate . Because this greatly disrupts the cellular telephone ’s functionality , outward signs of a viral transmission outcome in a plant disease with symptom such as unnatural or stunted growth , damaged fruit , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep computer virus carrier such as aphids , leafhopper , and thrips under dominance . These flora feeding worm spread viruses . Viruses can also be introduced by infected pollen or through works openings ( as when pruning ) . commence bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . novel plants should be check off , as well as shaft and existing plants . Use only certified seeded player that is deemed disease - devoid . industrial plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crops , not planting closely pertain plants in the same area every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stem hold back numerous bud that will grow and regenerate a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three introductory types of buds : last , sidelong and dormant . Terminal bud are at the tips of twigs or branches . They grow to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a efflorescence . If you write out the tip of a branch and dispatch the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral bud to develop into side branches resulting in a thicker , bushier plant . Lateral bud are low down on the twig and are often at the percentage point of foliage attachment . Pruning them encourages the concluding bud , resulting in a longsighted , thin branch . hibernating buds may remain still in the barque or theme and will only originate after the plant is trend back . Glossary : FertilizeFertilize just before young growth begins with a ended fertilizer . Glossary : PruningNow is the favorite fourth dimension to trim this flora .
