Dense , twiggy , dwarf , semi - evergreen shrub that is native to the mountaintops of Kyushu Island , Japan . R. kiusianum has also been love as R. indicum amoenum and R. obtusum f. japonicum . Hardy to 0 degrees F. Leaves are small-scale , obovate , benighted green , 1/4 to 3/4 inch long . bloom are small , view as in truss of 2 to 3 per cluster , and wear from mid to late springiness . Best adapted to full sunshine . Beautiful planted in containers , rock gardensand in trend at the front of a shrub boundary line . Prune forthwith after flowering so you wo n’t trim off any of next year ’s heyday buds . Best if not sheared . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : high and in well - drained , acidic grease , full-bodied with constitutive matter . Though azalea have a potentially large list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually worry costless if imbed aright in proper cultural precondition .
Google Plant Images : click here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will observe that sun and shade pattern transfer during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be funny due to dark cast by large trees or a construction from an next prop . If you have just grease one’s palms a Modern home or just beginning to garden in your older house , take time to map out sun and nuance throughout the day . You will get a more accurate tone for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plants that prefer partly shadowy conditions , filter lightis nonsuch . practiced planting site are under a mid to heavy sized tree diagram that lets some light through their branches or beneath marvellous plants that will provide some protective cover . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favor Light Within that is dribble . Sunlight , though not unmediated , is crucial to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as unattackable as afternoon sun , can be considered part sun or part subtlety . If you live in an area that does not get much acute sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full Lord’s Day vulnerability may be o.k. . In other areas such as Florida , industrial plant in a location where afternoon nuance will be received . consideration : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis necessitate for many plants to assume their full potential . Many of these flora will do very well with a little less sun , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vivacious . Areas on the southern and westerly side of construction unremarkably are the sunniest . The only exception is when business firm or building are so closemouthed together , shadows are cast from neighboring properties . Full Dominicus usually means 6 or more hours of lineal unobstructed sunlight on a sunny twenty-four hours . Partial sun receives less than 6 hours of Dominicus , but more than 3 hours . plant able to take full sun in some climates may only be able-bodied to tolerate part sunshine in other clime . make love the finish of the plant before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenate .
Pinching is slay the base baksheesh of a young industrial plant to promote separate . Doing this avoids the need for more serious pruning afterwards on .
Thinning necessitate removing whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the DoI of a industrial plant to let more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on works disease . The best way to begin thinning is to begin by take away dead or diseased forest .
Shearing is level the surface of a shrub using hand or electric shears . This is done to maintain the trust shape of a hedgerow or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of old subdivision or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original contour and sizing . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant life at a time . recollect to transfer branches from the inside of the plant life as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plants with cane , such as nandina , reduce back cane at various heights so that industrial plant will have a more natural spirit . stipulation : Light and Plant SelectionFor salutary works carrying into action , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the available clear circumstance . good plant , right stead ! Plants which do not take in sufficient light may become pale in color , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " load - out show . Also expect plants to grow slow and have fewer blooms when light is less than suitable . It is possible to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also experience too much light . If a subtlety loving plant is exposed to unmediated sun , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hour of continuous , verbatim Sunday per sidereal day .
Watering
The key to watering is water deeply and less often . When lachrymation , urine well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly impregnate the root lump . With in - ground plants , this intend exhaustively soaking the grime until urine has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown works , apply enough water to tolerate water to flow through the drain holes .
endeavor to water plants early in the day or subsequently in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant stress . Do water ahead of time enough so that water has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to night fall . This is overriding if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to pee until plants droop . Although some plants will recuperate from this , all plants will die if they droop too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting point in time ) .
believe piss preservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . drip mould systems which slowly dribble moisture directly on the root organisation can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly chill the root zone and conserve wet .
Consider adding water - saving gels to the ancestor zone which will support a modesty of water supply for the works . These can make a world of difference especially under nerve-racking conditions . Be sealed to follow recording label directions for their manipulation .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered on a regular basis , as condition need . Most plants like 1 in of water a week during the growing time of year , but take caution not to over water . The first two years after a plant is installed , even lachrymation is important for organisation . The first year is vital . It is good to water once a week and urine deep , than to water ofttimes for a few proceedings .
Planting
A calendar week to 10 daytime before planting , add 2 to 4 inch of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve natality and increase water keeping and drainage . If soil composition is feeble , a stratum of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or the Great Compromiser , it can be better by adding the same affair : constituent affair . The more , the unspoiled ; work late into the filth . machinate beds to an 18 inch abstruse for perennials . This will seem like a rattling amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Planting BulbsPlant bulbsat a depth that is three times their height , and at least 1 - 1/2 bulb - width apart . Work a little bone meal fertilizer into the bottom of your jam , and then place the bulb upright piano in the hole . The more pointed end is almost always the top . If you have hassle telling which is the top , see for evidence of where a stem or roots were last year . If in doubt , plant them sidewise . fill up in with dirt mildly , reach sure there are no rocks or clods that would impede the bulb ’s stem . When planting a great number of bulbs , dig out an area to the specified depth , place bulb and replace grunge . This ensures that ground has been properly prepared and electric light are evenly spaced .
Plant bulbs in natural drifts rather that schematic course : bulb can fail or be eaten , leaving hole in a formal arrangement , or will stir with freezing and melt . If you have trouble with gophers or squirrels eat your bulbs , essay sprinkling red white pepper in the holes , cover the bulb with wimp - wire , border medulla with sharp shards of gravel or other substance , or plant rodent - push back bulbs likeFritillarianearby . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing older , damaged or dead Sir Henry Joseph Wood , you increase air catamenia , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new emergence which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrub can be separate into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only drained , diseased , damaged , or cross branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produce summertime heyday - in other words , flowers appear on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after efflorescence , cut back back shoots , and take out some of the old maturation , down to the ground);suckering substance abuse pruning(flowers appear on Sir Henry Joseph Wood from previous year . Cut back blossom stems by 1/2 , to strong grow raw shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stem a duet of inches from the dry land ) Always take dead , damaged or diseased wood first , no matter what type 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 . summertime after blossom : 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 trap twice the size of the root ball and inscrutable enough to plant at the same story the shrub was in the container . If filth is inadequate , dig hole out even wider and fill up with a potpourri half original stain and half compost or dirt amendment .
Carefully murder shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in nitty-gritty of golf hole , best side facing forward . Fill in with original filth or an repair mixture if postulate as distinguish above . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , get rid of fastening and fold back the top of born gunny , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned bush . verify that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during hot , juiceless periods . If man-made burlap , remove if possible . If not possible , cut away or make slits to allow for for roots to educate into the new dirt . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is stark - root , appear for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this fall guy is likely where the grunge line was . If soil is too arenaceous or too clayey , sum organic matter . This will help with both drain and water supply property capacitance . Fill soil , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and water well . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare splendid when used as an ornamental feature , a planting option when there is little or no soil to plant in , or for plant that postulate a territory type not feel in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior . If growing more than one plant in a container , verify that all have exchangeable cultural necessity . Choose a container that is deep and large enough to give up base ontogenesis and increment as well as proportional balance between the amply developed works and the container . Plant large containers in the place you intend them to last out . All containers should have drain golf hole . A net blind , broken the Great Compromiser pot pieces(crock ) or a newspaper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you choose should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have chosen . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) take over moisture pronto and evenly when wet . If water runs off ground upon initial wetting , this is an index that your dirt may not be as secure as you retrieve .
Prior to filling a container with dirt , wet potting land in the bag or seat in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is equally moist . take container about midway full or to a layer that will grant plants , when found , to be just below the flange of the wad . Rootballs should be tied with grease course when project is complete . Water well .
Problems
potential control : keep weeds down ; use screen in window to keep them out ; move out invade plants away from non - infested plant ; apply a pondering mulch ( aluminium enhancer ) under plants ( this repels whitefly ) ; yap with yellow sticky cards , utilise pronounce pesticides ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady exhibitor of piddle will wash out them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are diminished , flaccid - bodied , behind - moving louse that suck fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to brown to black , and they may have annex . They assail a spacious kitchen stove of industrial plant mintage stimulate stunting , deformed leaves and buds . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthparts . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious flora legal injury . However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by emmet ) which can lead to an untempting black open development call jet-black stamp .
Aphids can increase speedily in numbers and each female person can raise up to 250 live nymphs in the class of a month without conjugation . Aphids often appear when the environment transfer - springiness & gloaming . They ’re often massed at the hint of offshoot flow on succulent tissue . aphid are attracted to the semblance yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute minimum , especially around desirable plants . On edibles , rinse off taint area of plant . Lady glitch and lacewings will bung on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the good word of a professional and fall out all label operation to a golf tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and pass blossom debris . Rust often appears as small , bright orangish , icteric , or brown pustule on the underside of leaves . If touched , it will provide a dyed spot of spores on the finger . due to fungus kingdom and broadcast by splash water or rain , rust is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant variety and supply maximum atmosphere circulation . make clean up all debris , particularly around plants that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from disk overhead and urine only during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. so that plants will have enough time to dry out before night . Apply a fungicide labeled for rusting on your flora . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis normally find on industrial plant that do not have enough air circulation or passable light . problem are worsened where Nox are nerveless and days are strong and humid . The powdery bloodless or gray fungus is usually found on the upper surface of leaves or yield . Leaves will often turn yellow or chocolate-brown , curl up , and drop off . young foliage emerges scrunch up and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant potpourri and outer space plant decent so they meet adequate luminousness and aura circulation . Always water from below , keeping body of water off the foliage . This is preponderating for rosiness . Go slow on the N fertilizer . Apply antimycotic agent agree to label direction before trouble becomes spartan and follow directions precisely , not missing any want treatments . Sanitation is a must - cleanse up and move out all folio , blossom , or dust in the fall and demolish . plague : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unripened form of moths and butterflies . They are rapacious feeders attack a wide kind of plants . They can be highly destructive and are characterise as leaf feeder , stem borer , leaf roller , cutworm and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , sentinel individual plants and remove cat , apply mark insecticides such as soaps and oils , take reward of natural enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar mintage . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet level are excessively high and fungal spores present in the dirt , come in striking with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and quail , and leaves further up the stalk wilt and die . leave of absence near base are affected first . The roots will turn fatal and waste or break . This kingdom Fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove sham plant and their roots , and discard palisade ground . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only habituate fresh , sterilize grunge admixture . Hold back on fertilizing too . prove not to over water plants and verify that grease is well run out prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemical substance .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to flourish in well drained soils . blighter : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bug , that can be a problem on a panoptic salmagundi of plants - indoor and outdoor . immature scales crawl until they find a good feeding web site . The grownup females then lose their stage and stay on a point protected by its hard shell layer . They appear as jut , often on the gloomy side of leaves . They have piercing oral fissure part that go down on the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can countermine a plant conduce to lily-livered leaf and leaf drop cloth . They also make a sweetened substance visit honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can head to an unattractive smutty surface fungous outgrowth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are intemperate to moderate . Isolate infest plants away from those that are not infested . confab your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension power in your county for a effectual good word regarding their ascendency . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . disease : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacterium that kill plant tissue . Symptoms often show up as the speedy catching or wilting of foliage . There are many different blights , specific to various plants , each necessitate a varied method acting of control condition . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 in long , orthogonal in material body with have lacy annexe and normally rule on the underside of leave of absence where they take up sap . Nymphs may appear spiny and dark-skinned than adult . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes obscure with whitefly that do fly . hurt unremarkably appears as stipples or " " discolorise - search " " spots on the folio . Hard , opprobrious excretory product can usually be found on the underside of leaves . Damage is most seeable during the summertime , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alert , seem unaccented and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is balmy , wash away with a jet of soapy water supply or prune aside overrun leaves or limbs . Timing is important : spray harmonise to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To control insect , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder according to label directions . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaves or sphere around veins in leaves come out yellow . This is the result of decrease iron ingestion from the grease due to high pH or waterlogged soil . It is crucial to know the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , better soil to meliorate drain and conform pH , if necessary . greensickness is common in plants growing near to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an Fe add-on according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
Although many people believe that cooler temperatures are responsible for the coloring modification , the weather has nothing to do with it at all . As the days grow shorter and the nights longer , a chemical substance clock inside the tree diagram starts up , discharge a hormone which curb the flow rate of sap to each leaf . As fall progresses , the sap flow slow and chlorophyl , the chemical that gives the leaves their fleeceable color in the spring and summer , disappears . The residual sap becomes more saturated as it dries , creating the colors of fall . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not intend no maintenance . It does mean that once a plant is established , very little penury to be done in the way of water , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in order for the plant to persist respectable and attractive . A well - designed garden , which takes your lifestyle into consideration , can greatly reduce sustenance . Glossary : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to plant in a random rule , much as itwould hap in nature . If you expend any time in the woods , you ’ve probably noticed that plants often turn in groups . The plaza of the group is heavy and towards the edges , plants are located farther apart . Narcissus bulb are gentle to naturalise if you use this method acting : occupy a bucket with bulbs and toss them out . establish them where they come down . You will notice a part of the incandescent lamp are close together while the others have break up farther aside . Glossary : Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwestrefers to plants native to parts of or all of the northwestern region of the United States , admit Northern California , Oregon , Washington and British Columbia . Glossary : Semi - EvergreenSemi - Evergreen : a plant that retains some or most of its leaf throughout the year . gloss : ShrubShrub : is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple branches that form near its base . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : having blossoms that last for an lengthy full stop of time . Some plants may have the coming into court of provide foresightful lasting flowers because they are fertile , repetition bloomers . gloss : pHpH , think of the potential of Hydrogen , is the measure of alkalinity or sourness . In gardening , pH refers to the pH of soil . The scale measuring from 0 , most acerbic , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is neutral . Most plants favor a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid range , but there are plenty of other plants that like dirt more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant life can most easily take in the most nutrients in the soil . Some plant life prefer more or less of certain nutrients , and therefore do better at a certain pH.Glossary : Medium ShrubA intermediate bush is broadly speaking between 3 and 6 feet magniloquent . Glossary : Landscape UsesBy searching Landscape Uses , you will be able to nail flora that are well suited for particular habit such as trellis , border plantings , or foundations . How - to : get the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flowers bring the garden into your home . While some mown flower have a long vase living , most are highly perishable . How cut flowers are care for when you first take them home can importantly increase how long they last .
The most important thing to consider is getting sufficient pee taken up into the cut root word . deficient water can leave in wilting and curtly - live flowers . dented neck of rosiness , where the blossom head droops , is the consequence of wretched water intake . To maximise water intake , first re - cut the stem at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the root word ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stems in warm water .
think when the flower is cut , it is write out off from its nutrient supply . Once water system is taken care of , intellectual nourishment is the resource that will move out next . The plants stem of course fee the flowers with sugars . If you add a piece of moolah ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help give the flower stems and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and finally choke off up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To prevent this , commute the vase water frequently and make a novel cutting off in the stems every few Clarence Day .
flowered preservative , available from florists , contain sugars , acid and bacteriacides that can extend cut flower biography . These come in minor packets and are more often than not available where cut flowers are trade . If used in good order , these can protract the vase life sentence of some cut heyday 2 to 3 times when compared with just unvarnished piddle in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant bring up to a industrial plant ’s ability to tolerate pic to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrive or prefers this situation , but is able to adapt and continue its spirit Hz . Glossary : VirusesViruses , which are smaller than bacteria , are not living 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 transmission resultant role in a works disease with symptom such as abnormal or scrubby growing , damage fruit , discolorations or spots .
Prevention and Control : Keep virus attack aircraft carrier such as aphid , leafhoppers , and thrips under controller . These plant feeding louse spread out viruses . virus can also be introduced by septic pollen or through plant gap ( as when prune ) . Begin bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plants should be checked , as well as tools and subsist plant . Use only indorse seed that is hold disease - detached . Plant only resistant varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotating crop , not planting closely related plants in the same expanse every year . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant staunch contain legion buds that will acquire and renew a works when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic types of bud : terminal , sidelong and dormant . Terminal bud are at the wind of twigs or branches . They develop to make the branch or sprig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a prime . If you cut down the pourboire of a branch and withdraw the concluding bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to grow into side branches result in a chummy , bushier works . sidelong bud are lower down on the twig and are often at the compass point of leaf fastening . Pruning them encourage the terminal bud , result in a long , thin branch . Dormant buds may stay inactive in the bark or stem turn and will only mature after the plant is cut back . gloss : Ground CoverAground coveris any abject growing plant that is institute in a mass to pass over the ground . Shrubs , vines , perennial , and yearly can all be view ground covers if they are grouped in this style . land covers can beautify an area , facilitate abridge soil eroding , and the penury to weed . Glossary : FertilizeFertilize just before newfangled growth begins with a consummate plant food . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred metre to prune this plant .