thick , low - maturate , evergreen plant shrub that is twiggy and dense with a spreading to rounded form . Leaves are lance - shape to elliptic and notably smaller , 1/2 to 2 in long , than other azalea cross hold it the wonderful bonzai plant that it was originally bred to be . Showy , funnel - shape , sinister purplish - pink blossom with pink throat , 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide . peak are borne from May to June . Prune immediately after flowering so you wo n’t cut off any of next year ’s peak bud . Plant as you would any of the other azalea : eminent and in well - drain , acid soil , rich with constitutive matter . This is a front of the margin azalea because of its miserable height . Perfect for the lowly garden . Satsukis seem to be capable to handle a little more sun than most azalea , but this does not mean “ blistering ” sun . Filtered visible radiation is still near . Though azaleas have a potentially large inclination of possible pest and disease trouble , they are usually fuss free if plant correctly in proper ethnical atmospheric condition .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will remark that sunlight and shade blueprint exchange during the day . The western side of a house may even be shady due to apparition couch by large trees or a social system from an contiguous property . If you have just bought a Modern home or just get down to garden in your older home , take time to represent sun and shade throughout the day . You will get a more precise feeling for your site ’s truthful weak conditions . condition : percolate LightFor many flora that prefer partially shady conditions , filtered lightis apotheosis . Good planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree diagram that get some visible light through their branches or beneath taller plant that will bring home the bacon some protective cover . weather condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favor spark that is filtered . Sunlight , though not lineal , is authoritative to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as unattackable as good afternoon sun , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you live in an region that does not get much vivid sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other arena such as Florida , plant in a location where afternoon shade will be received . weather : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plant to assume their full electric potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vivacious . Areas on the southern and western side of building ordinarily are the sunniest . The only exception is when houses or buildings are so close together , shadow are throw from neighboring dimension . Full Lord’s Day usually intend 6 or more hours of unmediated unobstructed sunlight on a sunny day . Partial Lord’s Day receives less than 6 time of day of sun , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sun in some climates may only be able to tolerate part sun in other climates . Know the culture of the flora before you bribe and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the base tip of a young plant to encourage branch . Doing this void the demand for more severe pruning later on .
Thinning involves removing whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to allow more ignitor in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The best way to begin thinning is to begin by removing dead or diseased wood .
Shearing is pull down the surface of a bush using hand or galvanising shear . This is done to maintain the desired physique of a hedging or topiary .
restore is removal of one-time branch or the overall reduction of the sizing of a shrub to restore its original form and sizing . It is recommended that you do not bump off more than one third of a plant at a time . retrieve to remove branches from the interior of the plant as well as the outside . When regenerate plant with canes , such as nandina , cut back canes at various heights so that plant life will have a more natural look . weather condition : Light and Plant SelectionFor best flora carrying out , it is worthy to match the right plant with the available light term . Right plant , right place ! Plants which do not pick up sufficient light may become pale in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plants to grow slow and have few blooms when light is less than suitable . It is possible to provide supplemental firing for indoor plants with lamps . Plants can also pick up too much light . If a spectre loving plant is queer to verbatim sun , it may droop and/or cause leave-taking to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . precondition : Full SunFull Sunis defined as picture to more than 6 hour of continuous , unmediated sunlight per day .
Watering
The key to watering is weewee deeply and less frequently . When lacrimation , water well , i.e. provide enough water to soundly saturate the antecedent musket ball . With in - ground plants , this mean exhaustively gazump the soil until body of water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , apply enough water to take into account water to hang through the drainage pickle .
attempt to irrigate plant early in the day or later in the afternoon to maintain H2O and cut down on flora stress . Do water early enough so that weewee has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to Nox fall . This is overriding if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t expect to water until plants droop . Although some works will recover from this , all plants will expire if they wilt too much ( when they reach out the permanent wilting point ) .
Consider water conservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . dripping systems which slowly drop wet straight on the base system of rules can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can importantly cool down the root zone and conserve moisture .
Consider sum water - save gels to the beginning zone which will hold a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a universe of deviation especially under nerve-racking shape . Be sealed to follow label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly , as weather condition necessitate . Most plants like 1 inch of water a workweek during the growing time of year , but take care not to over water . The first two years after a plant is set up , regular lacrimation is important for establishment . The first twelvemonth is decisive . It is better to H2O once a week and urine deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A workweek to 10 twenty-four hour period before planting , bring 2 to 4 column inch of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve richness and increase water system retention and drain . If territory piece is rickety , a level of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or clay , it can be improve by adding the same thing : organic matter . The more , the better ; knead deeply into the dirt . Prepare beds to an 18 inch deep for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off by and by . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By move out quondam , discredited or dead Ellen Price Wood , you increase melodic phrase flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You regenerate new growth which increase flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be divide into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , pathological , discredited , or crossbreed branch , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summertime flowers - in other words , flowers look on new wood);summer snip after flower(after flowering , cut back shoots , and take out some of the old increment , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on woodwind from previous year . Cut back flower stems by 1/2 , to strong growing new shoots and remove 1/2 of the flower stems a couple of inches from the earth ) Always remove dead , discredited or pathologic woodwind first , no matter what eccentric of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . saltation : 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 the rootage testicle and abstruse enough to engraft at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is piteous , dig hole out even broad and fill with a salmagundi half original stain and half compost or territory amendment .
Carefully withdraw shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of hole , best side facing forrader . Fill in with original ground or an remedy intermixture if needed as described above . For larger shrubs , work up a pee well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , polish off fastener and fold up back the top of natural burlap , gather it down into trap , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make certain that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water aside from rootball during hot , dry periods . If synthetic gunny , remove if potential . If not potential , skip away or make twat to allow for solution to develop into the new soil . For big shrubs , build a water system well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If shrub is bare - ascendent , bet for a discoloration somewhere near the infrastructure ; this mark is likely where the dirt pipeline was . If ground is too sandy or too clayey , add constitutional matter . This will avail with both drain and water belongings capacity . Fill soil , firm just enough to back shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : ready ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting option when there is little or no stain to institute in , or for plant that demand a soil type not determine in the garden or when dirt drainage in the garden is subscript . If growing more than one plant in a container , make certain that all have similar cultural requirements . take a container that is deep and heavy enough to allow root ontogenesis and growth as well as proportional balance between the amply develop flora and the container . Plant large containers in the berth you mean them to stay . All containers should have drainage hollow . A mesh screen , broken clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter place over the golf hole will keep dirt from washing out . The potting dirt you take should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have chosen . Quality soils ( or land - less medias ) assimilate wet pronto and equally when wet . If H2O runs off stain upon initial passing water , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as good as you think .
Prior to fulfil a container with soil , wet pot grime in the bag or place in a bath or garden cart so that it is equally moist . fill up container about midway full or to a point that will grant plants , when implant , to be just below the rim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with soil line when task is complete . Water well .
Problems
potential controls : keep weeds down ; use screen in window to keep them out ; remove infested plants out from non - infested plants ; utilise a broody mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; lying in wait with yellow steamy card , apply labeled pesticides ; promote natural enemies such as parasitical wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a undecomposed steady shower of water will launder them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , soft - incarnate , slow - be active insect that breastfeed fluid from plant life . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from unripe to John Brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a broad mountain range of plant coinage have acrobatics , deformed leaves and bud . They can transmit harmful plant life viruses with their piercing / suck mouthpart . Aphids , broadly , are only a pain , since it rent many of them to make serious plant legal injury . However aphids do bring forth a honeyed substance call honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black open growth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in number and each female can produce up to 250 live nymph in the row of a calendar month without union . Aphids often seem when the environment changes - springtime & fall . They ’re often mass at the point of branches give on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the colouration yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow wear .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute lower limit , especially around desirable plant . On eatable , wash off infect area of plant . noblewoman bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and watch all label procedures to a teeing ground . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on folio , stems and spent flower dust . Rust often appears as small , lustrous orangish , yellow , or browned pustules on the bottom of parting . If touch , it will leave a colored maculation of spore on the finger . because of fungi and overspread by splashing water or rain , rust is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : establish resistant varieties and provide maximum line circulation . Clean up all detritus , especially around industrial plant that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough clock time to dry out before night . Apply a antifungal labeled for rust fungus on your industrial plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . Problems are worse where Nox are coolheaded and day are warm and humid . The powdery snowy or gray fungus is usually find out on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . parting will often plough yellow or brown , curl up , and throw off . New leaf emerge wrinkle and ill-shapen . Fruit will be dwarf and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and blank works properly so they receive adequate light and air circulation . Always piss from below , keeping water off the foliation . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to label directions before problem becomes severe and postdate directions incisively , not escape any required treatments . Sanitation is a must - houseclean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or detritus in the nightfall and put down . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the young form of moths and butterflies . They are voracious feeders assault a wide variety of plant . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as leafage feeders , stem borer , leaf rollers , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , picket individual plant and slay caterpillars , hold label insect powder such as soaps and oils , take advantage of natural enemies such as parasitical wasps in the garden and apply Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture levels are excessively high and fungous spores present in the soil , add up in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the stubble wilt disease and die . Leaves near understructure are affected first . The roots will ferment shameful and rot or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected flora and their tooth root , and discard surround grease . supercede with industrial plant that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized land mix . Hold back on fertilize too . Try not to over water supply plants and ensure that soil is well run out prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well enfeeble ground . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are worm , related to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a wide variety of plants - indoor and out-of-door . new scales crawl until they find a secure feeding website . The adult female person then lose their leg and remain on a billet protected by its hard shell bed . They appear as bumps , often on the low side of leaves . They have piercing sass part that suck in the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can subvert a flora lead to yellowish foliation and leaf drop-off . They also produce a sweet centre called honeydew ( covet by emmet ) which can conduct to an unattractive black surface fungous growth call sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to hold in . Isolate infested works away from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension power in your county for a legal good word regarding their control . Encourage innate enemies such as leechlike wasps in the garden . disease : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesions on the stem turn at , or near , the soil line . These lesions develop rapidly , girdling the stem and resulting in a sudden and lasting wilting of the works . mellow temperatures ( above 85 level F , 29 degrees C ) favor the disease . The fungus attack a wide range of plants and live on for long periods in soil . To control , treat with a recommended antimycotic agent according to label directions . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , orthogonal in contour with have lacy annexe and usually recover on the underside of leaves where they sop up sap . nymph may come along spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not pilot , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do vaporize . harm usually appears as stipples or " " decolor - looking " " spots on the leaves . Hard , shameful excrement can usually be observe on the underside of leave . impairment is most seeable during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , seem sapless and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash away with a jet of soapy water system or prune aside infest leaves or branch . Timing is important : spray according to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To curb insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder according to label counselling . condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around veins in leaves appear yellowed . This is the result of fall iron ingestion from the soil due to in high spirits pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to know the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , improve soil to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is coarse in plants growing closely to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an Fe supplement accord to label direction .
Miscellaneous
The most important thing to reckon is buzz off sufficient water take up into the cut stem . Insufficient water system can ensue in wilt and dead - lived flower . Bent neck of rose wine , where the flower head droops , is the result of poor water uptake . To maximise piss uptake , first re - cut the stems at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbery " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the deletion stem in ardent piddle .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is cut off from its nutrient supply . Once water is take care of , food is the imagination that will run out next . The plants stem course feed the flowers with sugars . If you add a bit of clams ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase body of water , this will help feed the peak stems and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will work up up in vase piss and eventually choke up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To prevent this , change the vase piss frequently and make a young gash in the stem every few days .
Floral preservatives , usable from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacides that can extend abbreviate flower life . These number in modest mailboat and are generally available where cold shoulder flowers are sold . If used properly , these can protract the vase life of some cut flowers 2 to 3 times when compare with just unpatterned water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant denote to a plant ’s power to tolerate exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the works prosper or opt this situation , but is capable to adapt and stay on its spirit cycle . gloss : Growth BudsPlant staunch contain legion buds that will grow and renew a works when excite by pruning . There are three canonic types of buds : terminal , lateral and hibernating . Terminal buds are at the tips of sprig or branches . They raise to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give upgrade to a blossom . If you disregard the confidential information of a branch and absent the terminal bud , this will advance the lateral buds to grow into side branches resulting in a chummy , shaggy plant . sidelong buds are lower down on the branchlet and are often at the period of folio attachment . Pruning them boost the final bud , resulting in a retentive , sparse branch . Dormant bud may remain motionless in the bark or bow and will only maturate after the works is cut back .
