What Is All the Hoopla Over Azaleas?

What Is All the Hoopla Over Azaleas?

  

They are gorgeous! Have you ever driven around the Turtle Creek area in Dallas and seen the outstanding display of flowers in all shades of whites, pinks, corals, oranges, and reds that appear in early Spring? Those are Azaleas. They are wonderful plants that can be an evergreen shrub in your garden with a breathtaking display of flowers in the Spring.

There’s only one catch… they are allergic to our soils! Well, rather the high PH level and salt content in our soil is toxic to their roots and they will die a slow, ugly death if planted directly into our native Dallas soil. However, with the proper planting and a lot of initial work, which requires excavating your soil and replacing it with Azalea Mix, you can grow Azaleas quite easily in your garden. 

A previous post about soil recipes goes over what you need to do to prepare your Azalea beds, but I’ll repeat it here so you don’t have to go back and look for it.  

Azaleas need to be planted in a bed 15”- 18” deep with Azalea Mix which is a mixture of 50% moistened Peat Moss and 50% Pine Bark Mulch. Our Nicholson-Hardie Azalea Mix is ready to go and a lot easier than trying to mix it yourself which can be laborious and time consuming.

Raised beds are preferable since it ensures drainage, allows more depth of Azalea mix, and allows you to be more flexible with your location.  

1. Excavate 2” to 4” of your existing soil. Prior to this you will need to think about where you want to put this soil… in your garden or have it hauled away.
2. Raise your beds 14” to 16” with Nicholson-Hardie Azalea Mix.

 Once your beds are prepped, you can start planting your Azaleas.

Apart from your bed preparation, there are a few more things to consider when planting Azaleas. Be sure to choose the right location. Azaleas like shade, but not deep shade. They prefer half a day of morning sun, or bright dappled sun. They can take the sun after 4pm, but they don’t want to be in our scorching midday sun.

If you just planted new Azaleas, it is important to create a basin around the plant to funnel the water to the roots ensuring that it is getting the necessary amount of water. Hand watering is crucial at this stage! The amount you water depends on their location, so be sure to check them by sticking your finger down into the root ball and feeling for moisture. (This is true for all plants that haven’t rooted out yet.)

Fertilize with Fertilome Azalea, Camellia, and Gardenia food three times a year – once in April after they bloom, once in June, and again in September. Wash any fertilizer off the leaves to prevent burn. You can also fertilize with Rose Glo as an organic option – just follow the same feeding schedule. If your Azaleas have yellow leaves with green veins, use Carl Pool Mineralized Acidifier.

Do you want blooms two to three times a year – Spring, possibly Summer, and Fall? Encore Azaleas are a newer variety, but have proven to be wonderful bloomers.

If you want Azaleas in Dallas, it is possible… you will just have to jump through some hoops at first to get your beds just right.