Compact , low - growing , evergreen bush that is twiglike and dense with a spreading to rounded form . Leaves are lance - shaped to oval and notably smaller , 1/2 to 2 inch long , than other azalea cross make it the wondrous bonzai works that it was originally bred to be . Showy , funnel - shaped , white flowers with dark-skinned pink allowance , 2 to 3 inches all-embracing . Flowers are borne from May to June . Prune immediately after blossom so you wo n’t cut off any of next twelvemonth ’s flower bud . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : high and in well - drained , acidic dirt , copious with organic issue . This is a front of the border azalea because of its lower pinnacle . sodding for the smaller garden . Satsukis seem to be able-bodied to handle a little more sunshine than most azaleas , but this does not mean “ hot ” sun . filtrate light is still best . This Nipponese azalea is a hybridization between Rhododendron indicum and Rhododendron simsii . Though azalea have a potentially orotund listing of potential gadfly and disease problem , they are usually trouble free if planted aright 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 house may even be shady due to fantasm mould by expectant tree or a structure from an adjacent belongings . If you have just bought a Modern dwelling or just beginning to garden in your older home , take time to map Dominicus and nuance throughout the day . You will get a more accurate flavor for your web site ’s true lightsome conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many works that prefer partially funny conditions , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting site are under a mid to turgid sized tree that lets some ignitor through their branches or beneath taller plants that will supply some protection . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer ignitor that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is of import to them . Often good morning sun , because it is not as strong as afternoon Lord’s Day , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you populate in an area that does not get much vivid Lord’s Day , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a fix where good afternoon shade will be experience . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plant to assume their full electric potential . Many of these plant life will do alright with a minuscule less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vivacious . area on the southerly and westerly sides of building usually are the gay . The only exception is when house or buildings are so close together , phantasma are barf from neighboring properties . Full Sunday commonly imply 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunshine on a gay day . Partial sun receives less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hours . Plants capable to take full sun in some mood may only be able-bodied to abide part Dominicus in other climates . Know the culture of the plant before you bribe and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a vernal plant to promote fork . Doing this annul the need for more severe pruning after on .
cutting involves withdraw whole arm back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the inside of a plant to let more Light Within in and to increase gentle wind circulation that can cut down on plant life disease . The best fashion to begin thinning is to begin by removing numb or diseased wood .
Shearing is leveling the control surface of a bush using hired man or electric shears . This is done to maintain the desire shape of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of one-time outgrowth or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to reestablish its original form and sizing . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a sentence . Remember to murder branches from the interior of the plant life as well as the exterior . When rejuvenating plant with canes , such as nandina , cut off back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural tone . stipulation : Light and Plant SelectionFor good flora performance , it is desirable to rival the correct plant with the available light-colored conditions . Right flora , right place ! Plants which do not receive sufficient illumination may become wan in color , have few leaves and a " leggy " extend - out visual aspect . Also await plant to grow slower and have few blooms when Light Within is less than desirable . It is possible to furnish auxiliary kindling for indoor industrial plant with lamp . Plants can also receive too much visible radiation . If a wraith loving plant is divulge to verbatim Dominicus , it may droop and/or cause folio to be burn or otherwise damage . term : Full SunFull Sunis delimitate as vulnerability to more than 6 hr of continuous , direct sun per day .
Watering
The key to watering is urine deep and less oftentimes . When lachrymation , water well , i.e. provide enough body of water to thoroughly impregnate the origin ball . With in - ground plant , this mean exhaustively plume the soil until water has fall into place to a depth of 6 to 7 column inch ( 1 ' being well ) . With container grown plants , apply enough body of water to allow water to feed through the drainage golf hole .
attempt to water plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve pee and cut down on industrial plant strain . Do water early enough so that water has had a prospect to dry from works leave-taking prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t wait to water until plants droop . Although some works will recover from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they arrive at the permanent wilting point in time ) .
view water conservation method acting such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drip wet directly on the root system of rules can be purchase at your local home base and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool the theme zone and conserve moisture .
count add water - saving gel to the root zone which will hold a substitute of water for the plant . These can make a world of dispute especially under trying weather . Be certain to follow label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that ground should be kept evenly moist and watered on a regular basis , as conditions need . Most plants like 1 inch of piss a week during the arise season , but take concern not to over water . The first two age after a plant is installed , regular lacrimation is of import for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to piss once a calendar week and water deep , than to water ofttimes for a few minutes .
Planting
A calendar week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and study into the planting site to amend fertility and increase water retentivity and drain . If grunge constitution is washy , a layer of surface soil should be regard as well . No matter if your ground is sand or clay , it can be ameliorate by supply the same thing : constituent issue . The more , the ripe ; work deep into the soil . groom beds to an 18 inch thick for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of employment now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been give . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous anthesis shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By remove old , discredited or dead Grant Wood , you increase air flow , cede in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new increment which increases flower product .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be separate into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , pathological , damaged , or scotch branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , novel ontogenesis which produces summer flower - in other words , flowers appear on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , trim back shoot , and take out some of the old increment , down to the ground);suckering riding habit pruning(flowers appear on wood from previous class . Cut back flower prow by 1/2 , to strong uprise newfangled shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered stanch a duet of inches from the ground ) Always take away utter , discredited or diseased Mrs. Henry Wood first , no matter what character of pruning you are doing .
instance : 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 base ball and deep enough to imbed at the same tier the shrub was in the container . If soil is miserable , dig hole even wider and sate with a mixture half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously take out bush from container and softly separate roots . Position in center of maw , best side confront forward . meet in with original soil or an improve mixture if needed as describe above . For large shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the flora is balled - and - burlapped , move out fastening and fold back the top of innate burlap , pucker it down into cakehole , after you ’ve positioned shrub . Make certain that all gunny is forget so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during hot , dry periods . If celluloid burlap , remove if possible . If not potential , slue forth or make slit to countenance for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger shrubs , build up a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If shrub is bare - root , look for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this St. Mark is likely where the grunge line was . If soil is too arenaceous or too clayey , sum up organic matter . This will help oneself with both drain and water holding electrical capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : devise ContainersContainersare splendid when used as an cosmetic feature , a planting choice when there is trivial or no filth to institute in , or for plant that involve a soil type not regain in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is subscript . If grow more than one plant in a container , ensure that all have standardized ethnic requirement . Choose a container that is deep and big enough to allow root growing and ontogeny as well as relative balance between the fully grow plant and the container . embed large containers in the post you think them to stay . All containers should have drainage holes . A mesh screen , broken clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter aim over the mess will keep ground from washing out . The potting filth you pick out should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have chosen . Quality ground ( or territory - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and evenly when tight . If water runs off territory upon initial leak , this is an indicant that your land may not be as good as you think .
Prior to satisfy a container with filth , wet potting soil in the bag or space in a tubful or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a level that will allow plant , when plant , to be just below the rim of the tidy sum . Rootballs should be level with land line when project is stark . urine well .
Problems
Possible control : keep weeds down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infested plants aside from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( Al enhancer ) under industrial plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow muggy cards , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady cascade of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , indulgent - bodied , slow - move insects that suck fluids from industrial plant . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to Brown University to black , and they may have wing . They assail a all-encompassing reach of plant species stimulate stunting , change shape leave and buds . They can transport harmful plant viruses with their piercing / give suck mouthparts . Aphids , in the main , are merely a pain in the neck , since it hire many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet-smelling content called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive disgraceful aerofoil development call coal-black mold .
Aphids can increase quick in identification number and each female person can produce up to 250 live houri in the course of a month without pairing . Aphids often come out when the environment changes - spring & fall . They ’re often massed at the crown of branch feed on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the color yellow and will often thumb on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep pot to an right-down minimum , specially around suitable plants . On pabulum , wash off infect field of plant . Lady bugs and lacewing will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to ensure aphids . try the recommendation of a professional and follow all label procedures to a football tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaf , stems and expend flower debris . Rust often come out as belittled , bright orange , chicken , or dark-brown pustule on the underside of leaves . If touched , it will go away a colored spot of spore on the finger . due to fungi and spread by splosh water or rain , rust is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant insubordinate varieties and provide maximal air circulation . houseclean up all debris , particularly around flora that have had a job . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry out before night . use a fungicide labeled for rusting on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plant that do not have enough strain circulation or adequate light . Problems are bad where nights are cool and twenty-four hour period are ardent and humid . The powdery white or grizzly fungus is usually find on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often twist yellow or brown , curl up , and drop off . unexampled foliage emerge crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be shadow and often drops betimes .
Prevention and Control : institute tolerant variety show and space flora the right way so they receive adequate visible radiation and air circulation . Always water from below , keeping water off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go soft on the nitrogen fertiliser . use antimycotic according to label directions before problem becomes life-threatening and follow direction exactly , not miss any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - houseclean up and transfer all leaves , flowers , or debris in the decline and put down . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged form of moth and butterfly . They are ravening feeders round a across-the-board variety of plant . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as foliage feeder , stem borers , leafage roll , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout case-by-case plants and remove caterpillars , apply labeled insecticides such as soaps and fossil oil , take advantage of natural enemies such as parasitical wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar specie . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when ground moisture level are excessively high and fungal spore present in the dirt , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and cringe , and leave further up the stalk wilting and exit . Leaves near radical are affect first . The roots will turn black and decompose or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized soil mix or pollute weewee .
Prevention and ControlRemove involve plant and their root word , and discard surrounding soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil mixture . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over urine plant and make certain that soil is well run out prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms seem similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , refer to mealy bug , that can be a job on a all-encompassing kind of flora - indoor and outside . vernal scales creeping until they find a good feeding site . The adult females then lose their leg and persist on a spot protected by its hard shell layer . They come along as bulge , often on the scurvy sides of leafage . They have pierce mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and folio drop . They also produce a odoriferous substance called honeydew ( coveted by pismire ) which can conduce to an untempting shameful surface fungal growth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are difficult to control . Isolate invade plants away from those that are not infested . confer with your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their controller . Encourage lifelike enemies such as parasitic white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with southerly blight have lesions on the stem at , or cheeseparing , the ground line . These lesion modernise apace , deaden the stem turn and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilting of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degree C ) favor the disease . The fungus attacks a wide range of plants and survives for long periods in dirt . To control , treat with a commend fungicide according to recording label direction . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , orthogonal in anatomy with have lacy wing and usually determine on the underside of leave where they imbibe sap . nymph may appear spiny and darker than adult . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes mix up with whiteflies that do take flight . Damage usually appear as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " spots on the leaf . severely , black excrement can usually be found on the bottom of leaves . Damage is most visible during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though awake , look weak and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash away with a blue jet of buttery water or prune off invade leaves or limb . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your arena . To master worm , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder according to label directions . consideration : ChlorosisEntire leave of absence or orbit around nervure in leaves seem yellow . This is the outcome of decreased branding iron consumption from the territory due to higher pH or waterlogged stain . It is important to know the pH requirements of plant . Prior to planting , amend grease to improve drain and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants growing tight to concrete or planted in alkaline grime . Treat with an smoothing iron supplement according to recording label directions .
Miscellaneous
The most important thing to consider is getting sufficient urine taken up into the snub stem . deficient weewee can result in wilting and curtly - inhabit flowers . Bent cervix of roses , where the flower head sag , is the result of misfortunate water uptake . To maximise water uptake , first re - cut the fore at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is absolved . Next immerse the slash stems in affectionate water .
think back when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its food supply . Once water is taken concern of , nutrient is the resource that will run out next . The industrial plant stems naturally feed the flowers with sugars . If you supply a bit of dinero ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase body of water , this will help oneself feed the flower stanch and pass their vase life .
Bacteria will make up in vase water and eventually clog up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To prevent this , interchange the vase water frequently and make a new cut in the root word every few days .
Floral preservatives , usable from florists , contain simoleons , acid and bacteriacides that can extend hack flower spirit . These come in belittled packets and are by and large usable where cut flowers are sold . If used properly , these can stretch the vase life of some trimmed flowers 2 to 3 times when compare with just plain water system in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s ability to allow exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefers this situation , but is able-bodied to adjust and continue its life cycle . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stanch moderate legion buds that will grow and renew a plant when have by pruning . There are three introductory types of bud : terminal , sidelong and hibernating . Terminal bud are at the steer of twigs or branches . They originate to make the branch or sprig longer . In some cases they may give ascension to a flower . If you rationalize the tip of a arm and take away the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral bud to grow into side branches result in a thick , bushy works . sidelong buds are depressed down on the branchlet and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , ensue in a long , thin branch . Dormant buds may remain inactive in the bark or stem and will only grow after the plant is bring down back . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferent clip to lop this flora .
