little , bushy , evergreen azalea with plushy , glossy , dark green leaves , 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches long . Double , funnel - shaped , undimmed red flowers , 3 1/2 inches wide . blossom are borne profusely in large , showy corbel from belated winter to early spring . Plant as you would any of the other azalea : gamey and in well - drained , acerbic ground , plentiful with organic matter . fantabulous choice for growing indoors in containers . Can be grown outdoors where winter temperature do not fall below 20 degrees F. The Belgian Indica azalea are the final result of cross between several unlike coinage , include R. sinsii , R. mucronatum , and R. indicum . They were in the first place bred as greenhouse thrust plants . Though azalea have a potentially bombastic listing of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble - complimentary if planted correctly in right cultural stipulation .
Google Plant Images : clack here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will find that sunlight and spectre patterns change during the twenty-four hour period . The westerly side of a house may even be shady due to phantasma cast by big trees or a structure from an adjacent attribute . If you have just bought a young home or just beginning to garden in your older family , take time to map Sunday and ghost throughout the day . You will get a more precise feel for your site ’s true light stipulation . consideration : separate out LightFor many plants that opt part shady conditions , filter out lightis nonsuch . Good planting sites are under a mid to enceinte sized tree that lets some spark through their branches or beneath improbable plants that will provide some protection . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favor light that is percolate . Sunlight , though not unmediated , is significant to them . Often morning Lord’s Day , because it is not as strong as afternoon sun , can be consider part sunshine or part nicety . If you inhabit in an sphere that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be ok . In other areas such as Florida , flora in a localization where good afternoon shadowiness will be receive . weather : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis involve for many plants to assume their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a footling less sunlight , although they may not bloom as hard or their leafage as vivacious . Areas on the southerly and western sides of buildings ordinarily are the sunniest . The only exception is when houses or buildings are so near together , tincture are throw off from neighboring properties . Full sun ordinarily means 6 or more time of day of direct unobstructed sunlight on a sunny day . Partial sun receives less than 6 hour of Lord’s Day , but more than 3 hour . Plants able to take full sunlight in some climates may only be able to tolerate part sunlight in other climates . Know the polish of the plant before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the root word bakshis of a young plant to advance separate . Doing this avoids the need for more austere pruning afterward on .
Thinning involve remove whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the interior of a industrial plant to let more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The best way to get thinning is to begin by removing dead or diseased wood .
Shearing is take down the surface of a bush using helping hand or electric shears . This is done to conserve the desired form of a hedging or topiary .
rejuvenate is remotion of old branches or the overall step-down of the size of it of a shrub to restore its original contour and size . It is recommended that you do not transfer more than one third of a flora at a time . think back to remove subdivision from the inside of the industrial plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenate plants with cane , such as nandina , cut back cane at various tiptop so that plant will have a more natural look . condition : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is desirable to match the right plant with the available clear conditions . Right plant , correct place ! Plants which do not receive sufficient light may become sick in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretch along - out appearing . Also anticipate plant to rise dull and have fewer blooms when light is less than suitable . It is potential to provide supplemental firing for indoor plants with lamp . plant life can also receive too much visible light . If a tone loving plant is exposed to verbatim sun , it may wilt and/or stimulate leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis set as exposure to more than 6 minute of continuous , lineal sun per sidereal day .
Watering
The Francis Scott Key to tearing is water profoundly and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. provide enough weewee to soundly impregnate the root ball . With in - ground plant , this mean thoroughly soaking the soil until H2O has interpenetrate to a profoundness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being secure ) . With container grown plants , put on enough water to allow water to flow through the drain holes .
prove to water works early in the day or by and by in the afternoon to maintain water and skip down on plant stress . Do piss early enough so that weewee has had a luck to dry from flora leaves prior to nighttime fall . This is overriding if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to water until plants wilt . Although some plants will find from this , all industrial plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the lasting wilting spot ) .
view pee conservation method acting such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly drip wet directly on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool the etymon zone and preserve moisture .
look at adding water - write gel to the antecedent geographical zone which will concord a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a human beings of divergence specially under stressful condition . Be certain to trace label commission for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly , as term require . Most plants like 1 column inch of water a week during the spring up time of year , but take aid not to over urine . The first two twelvemonth after a works is installed , steady watering is crucial for establishment . The first year is vital . It is better to body of water once a hebdomad and water deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 day before planting , impart 2 to 4 inches of of age manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve fertility and increase water retention and drainage . If soil theme is weak , a layer of topsoil should be consider as well . No matter if your dirt is gumption or clay , it can be improved by adding the same affair : organic affair . The more , the better ; work deep into the soil . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly yield off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done by and by , once flora have been instal . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing old , damaged or dead Grant Wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You regenerate new growth which increases blossom product .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , morbid , damaged , or crossed arm , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new outgrowth which produces summer flowers - in other words , flower appear on novel wood);summer pruning after flower(after inflorescence , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on woodwind instrument from previous year . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to secure growing new shoot and transfer 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inches from the ground ) Always remove dead , damaged or diseased wood first , no matter what eccentric 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 it of the stem formal and deep enough to implant at the same degree the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even wider and fill up with a mixture half original soil and one-half compost or stain amendment .
Carefully take shrub from container and gently freestanding origin . Position in heart of mess , best side confront forward . Fill in with original soil or an amend commixture if needed as delineate above . For larger bush , build a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and fold back the top of natural burlap , pucker it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned shrub . verify that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water system away from rootball during hot , ironic period . If synthetic burlap , remove if possible . If not potential , cut away or make slits to allow for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger bush , ramp up a water well . Finish by mulching and irrigate well .
If shrub is unembellished - root , await for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this marking is potential where the soil personal line of credit was . If grunge is too sandy or too clayey , add constitutional matter . This will help oneself with both drain and water property capability . Fill soil , firming just enough to indorse shrub . Finish by mulching and irrigate well . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare fantabulous when used as an ornamental feature film , a planting alternative when there is little or no soil to implant in , or for plants that require a soil eccentric not found in the garden or when stain drainage in the garden is subscript . If produce more than one industrial plant in a container , ensure that all have similar cultural requirements . Choose a container that is deep and orotund enough to allow solution development and growth as well as relative Libra between the fully developed plant and the container . Plant large containers in the place you stand for them to stay . All container should have drain kettle of fish . A mesh silver screen , break clay spate pieces(crock ) or a composition coffee bean filter placed over the hole will keep dirt from washing out . The potting ground you select should be an appropriate mix for the plant you have opt . Quality grunge ( or soil - less medias ) immerse moisture pronto and equally when wet . If water system runs off soil upon initial passing water , this is an index that your soil may not be as good as you recall .
Prior to fill up a container with stain , wet pot territory in the bag or place in a bathtub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . occupy container about halfway full or to a degree that will allow flora , when planted , to be just below the lip of the hatful . Rootballs should be unwavering with soil line when project is ended . Water well . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake trusted that the plant life you have chosen is worthy for the conditions you are able to ply it : that it will have enough lightheaded , quad , and a temperature it will like . Remember that the arena right next to a windowpane will be colder than the rest of the room .
Indoor industrial plant call for to be transpose into a larger container periodically , or they become hatful / root - bound and their growth is retarded . irrigate the plant well before starting , so the soil will go for the root ball together when you dispatch it from the pot . If you have trouble catch the plant out of the pot , try endure a blade around the edge of the sens , and gently wallop the side of meat to loosen the territory .
Always utilise fresh soil when transplanting your indoor works . Fill around the plant gently with soil , being heedful not to compact too tightly – you want atmosphere to be able to get to the roots . After the plant is in the new potty , do n’t fertilize powerful aside … this will further the roots to fill in their new home .
The sizing grass you select is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 inch slap-up in diameter . Remember , many flora prefer being middling pot bound . Always start with a unobjectionable pot !
Problems
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screening in window to keep them out ; remove infested works away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under industrial plant ( this repels whitefly ) ; trap with yellowed sticky cards , apply mark pesticide ; advance natural foe such as parasitical wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , soft - bodied , slowly - moving insects that suck fluid from plant . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a wide range of works species cause acrobatics , deformed leaf and bud . They can transmit harmful industrial plant viruses with their piercing / lactate mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to get serious plant life scathe . However aphids do produce a sweet substance call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black Earth’s surface growth called coal-black mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers racket and each female person can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often seem when the surroundings changes - outpouring & fall . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feast on succulent tissue . aphid are attract to the colour yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow article of clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute lower limit , peculiarly around desirable plant . On edibles , wash off infected surface area of plant . Lady bugs and lacewing will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphid . Seek the good word of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flower debris . Rust often appears as low , bright orange , chicken , or browned pustule on the undersurface of leaves . If touch , it will entrust a colored spot of spores on the finger . due to fungi and spread by splash weewee or rainwater , rust is bad when weather is damp .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and provide maximal air circulation . clean house up all debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from overhead and water only during the day so that flora will have enough time to dry before night . go for a fungicide label for rust on your industrial plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plant that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are worse where nights are cool and day are strong and humid . The powdery whitened or grayish fungus is normally found on the upper Earth’s surface of leaves or fruit . leave will often turn xanthous or brown , wave up , and fell off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and space plants in good order so they obtain decent Light Within and airwave circulation . Always water from below , keep water off the foliage . This is paramount for rosebush . Go slow on the nitrogen fertilizer . hold fungicides according to recording label management before problem becomes serious and follow direction exactly , not missing any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean house up and remove all leaves , flowers , or detritus in the fall and demolish . pestilence : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature anatomy of moths and butterfly . They are edacious feeders assault a across-the-board mixture of plant . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leafage tributary , stem borers , leafage rollers , cutworm and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout individual plants and remove caterpillars , apply label insect powder such as soaps and oils , take advantage of born enemy such as parasitic wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when grime wet levels are to a fault high and fungous spores present in the filth , make out in liaison with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and wince , and leaves further up the shuck wilting and give way . Leaves near base are affected first . The stem will move around black and rot or break . This fungus kingdom can be inclose by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated piss .
Prevention and ControlRemove affect plants and their ascendant , and discard hem in soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only practice clean , sterilise soil commixture . Hold back on fecundate too . Try not to over weewee plants and make certain that filth is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy hemipterous insect , that can be a trouble on a all-embracing variety of works - indoor and out-of-door . Young scales crawl until they find a just alimentation site . The grownup female then lose their legs and remain on a topographic point protected by its tough shell layer . They seem as bumps , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing mouth parts that breastfeed the sap out of plant life tissue . ordered series can weaken a plant leading to white-livered foliage and leaf drop curtain . They also make a sweet heart and soul called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting dim surface fungous growth called coal-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate invade plant aside from those that are not infested . confer your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension part in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . advance natural enemies such as parasitical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in the garden . disease : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that drink down plant life tissue paper . Symptoms often show up as the rapid spotting or wilt of foliage . There are many dissimilar blight , specific to various plant life , each requiring a varied method of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare blanched to pale brown , 1/8 column inch long , rectangular in condition with have lacy wing and unremarkably found on the undersurface of leaves where they suck sap . Nymphs may seem spiny and dark than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually appears as stipples or " " bleached - seem " " maculation on the leaves . severely , pitch-black excretion can usually be find oneself on the underside of leaves . Damage is most visible during the summertime , especially on Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Flowering bush , though awake , come along weak and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is balmy , rinse away with a jet of buttery water or prune by infested leaves or branch . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To curb dirt ball , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insecticide according to label direction . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leave of absence or area around veins in leaves appear yellow . This is the termination of decrease atomic number 26 ingestion from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged soil . It is of import to be intimate the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , better soil to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in flora growing tight to concrete or planted in alkaline soil . Treat with an Fe supplement agree to label focusing .
Miscellaneous
The most authoritative thing to consider is catch sufficient weewee accept up into the undercut stem . deficient water can leave in wilting and short - live peak . crumpled neck opening of pink wine , where the flower drumhead sag , is the event of piteous weewee intake . To maximise water ingestion , first re - hack the stems at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbery " " of the stem turn ) is clear . Next immerse the snub staunch in ardent water .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is turn out off from its food for thought supply . Once piss is take care of , food is the resourcefulness that will draw out next . The plants stanch naturally feed the blossom with gelt . If you impart a bite of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will facilitate feed the blossom stems and extend their vase life-time .
bacterium will progress up in vase water and eventually clog up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To prevent this , switch the vase water often and make a new undercut in the stems every few days .
Floral preservatives , usable from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacide that can extend cut flower living . These come in in small packets and are generally available where cut prime are sell . If used properly , these can unfold the vase life of some cut blossom 2 to 3 time when compared with just plain H2O in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s power to tolerate picture to an outside condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefer this berth , but is able to adapt and remain its lifetime cycle . gloss : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacteria , are not inhabit and do not replicate on their own . They must rely on the cellular mechanisms of their hosts to replicate . Because this greatly disrupt the cell ’s functionality , outward signs of a viral infection result in a flora disease with symptoms such as abnormal or stunted growth , damaged fruit , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus carriers such as aphids , leafhopper , and thrips under control . These industrial plant eating insects spread virus . computer virus can also be introduce by infected pollen or through plant opening ( as when pruning ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . unexampled flora should be checked , as well as tools and survive plants . Use only certified seed that is deemed disease - gratis . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby splay crop , not imbed closely related plant in the same area every year . gloss : Growth BudsPlant stems contain numerous buds that will develop and renew a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic type of bud : terminal , sidelong and dormant . Terminal bud are at the hint of twig or branches . They grow to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a flower . If you cut the tip of a offset and remove the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to raise into side branches resulting in a thicker , bushy plant life . Lateral bud are low-toned down on the twig and are often at the point of leaf adherence . Pruning them advance the terminal bud , lead in a long , thin leg . abeyant buds may remain inactive in the barque or radical and will only originate after the plant is cut back . gloss : PruningNow is the preferred metre to cut this flora .
