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Azaleas, conditions for fantastic flowers
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Azaleas, deciduous ones in particular, prefer to grow in half shade, where the soil is always a bit moist. However, the shadier the spot the less blooms he plant will produce. The non-deciduous, Japanese azalea are also happy in half-shade but do very well in full sunlight too. The foliage of this shrub is small and will therefore evaporate less moisture in full sunlight than the larger leafed Mollis or Viscosa for instance.
That is where they grow well
Azaleas do not tolerate lime. They require an acidic, humous and sufficiently moist soil. You can improve soil conditions by digging in garden peat or black peat. In a normal soil type half a bag of garden peat should be sufficient to obtain the right acidity level. To retain a good soil structure for azaleas add some more garden peat every other year. The shrubs do not thrive on clay soil. However, this does not mean you cannot grow azaleas in clay soil. Simply dig the planting hole five times larger than the root ball and fill it with the right type of soil and the plant will grow there just as well.
Good care
Azaleas only need fresh manure or granulated cow manure every other year. Never add any manure directly after planting but wait until the following year to prevent the young roots from getting scorched by the ammonia in the manure. Compost is very suitable to add to the soil. For the deciduous azaleas it is wise to remove overblown bunches of flowers (seed boxes-to-be). This encourages growth and development of buds. For Japanese azaleas this is not necessary as they hardly develop any seed boxes.
Red spider mite and donkeys ears
In general azaleas are not very prone to diseases. Only Mollis azaleas are prone to red spider mite infestations. This is one of the reasons for the decline in its popularity. Japanese azaleas sometimes suffer from donkeys ears . These are thick growths that resemble ears and are caused by a fungus. It will not kill the plant but the growths should still be removed. To minimize the risk of contamination the growths should be put in the rubbish bin and never be left around the plant.
Light pruning will do
Azaleas flower on old wood and should therefore only be pruned lightly directly after flowering. Only if the plant has grown out of proportion you can cut it back a bit harder in winter. You can remove branches as thick as your thumb. Plenty of eyes develop on this wood producing new shoots the following spring. These will not flower until the following year. This goes mainly for the deciduous azaleas. Japanese azaleas hardly need pruning as the shrubs do not grow very tall. Some light pruning after flowering is fine but usually not necessary.
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