Elaine is a medium - sized , evergreen shrub with showy , big trusses of up to 3 , fully double , pale pink flowers , which spread from rosy - pinkish buds and are borne April 16 to 26 . The Carla hybrids were produced at North Carolina State University in Raleigh , North Carolina , so the bloom of youth times are based on observance made in this orbit . Plant as you would any of the other azalea : eminent and in well - drain , acid dirt , rich with organic subject . Though azalea have a potentially big list of possible blighter and disease problem , they are commonly hassle detached if implant correctly in proper cultural condition .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will mark that sun and tint rule change during the Clarence Day . The westerly side of a business firm may even be shady due to shadows cast by large trees or a social organization from an adjacent property . If you have just bribe a new home or just beginning to garden in your older place , take time to map out Sunday and tincture throughout the day . You will get a more exact feel for your site ’s reliable low-cal condition . Conditions : filter LightFor many plant that prefer partially louche precondition , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting web site are under a mid to great sized tree diagram that lets some light through their branches or beneath improbable plant that will provide some shelter . circumstance : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favour ignitor that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning Sunday , because it is not as strong as afternoon sun , can be considered part Dominicus or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sunlight , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sunshine photograph may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , flora in a position where afternoon shadowiness will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis require for many industrial plant to assume their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavily or their leaf as vivacious . Areas on the southerly and western sides of buildings unremarkably are the cheery . The only exception is when houses or buildings are so close together , shadower are cast from neighboring place . Full sun usually means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunlight on a sunny day . Partial Sunday invite less than 6 hour of sun , but more than 3 hours . industrial plant able-bodied to take full sun in some climate may only be able to support part sun in other climates . be intimate the polish of the plant life before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a untested plant life to advertize branching . Doing this avoids the need for more grave pruning afterward on .
Thinning imply 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 zephyr circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The best way to set out thinning is to begin by removing dead or diseased wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a shrub using mitt or electric shears . This is done to assert the hope build of a hedge or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of sometime leg or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to repair its original build and size . It is recommend that you do not remove more than one third of a plant life at a sentence . recall to withdraw branches from the inside of the plant as well as the exterior . When rejuvenate plants with cane , such as nandina , tailor back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more born spirit . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor good plant public presentation , it is desirable to match the right plant with the available scant weather condition . good works , right place ! plant which do not receive sufficient igniter may become pale in coloration , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out appearance . Also expect plants to develop obtuse and have few bloom when light is less than desirable . It is possible to provide auxiliary firing for indoor plants with lamps . Plants can also experience too much light . If a shade loving industrial plant is exposed to lineal Sunday , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis define as picture to more than 6 hr of continuous , unmediated Sunday per day .
Watering
The key to lachrymation is piddle deeply and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. offer enough water to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With in - background plants , this means thoroughly plume the soil until water system has penetrate to a depth of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown works , apply enough piddle to leave water to flow through the drainage holes .
seek to irrigate plants too soon in the twenty-four hour period or later in the good afternoon to conserve water and abridge down on plant stress . Do piddle early enough so that body of water has had a chance to dry from plant leave prior to night declination . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t hold off to water until plant life wilt . Although some plant will recuperate from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the lasting wilting decimal point ) .
Consider urine conservation methods such as trickle irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip arrangement which slowly drip wet directly on the root system of rules can be purchase at your local family and garden center . Mulches can importantly cool the root zone and conserve wet .
conceive adding water - saving gels to the root word geographical zone which will give a reserve of water for the plant . These can make a humanity of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be sure to follow label direction for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that filth should be kept evenly moist and water regularly , as condition command . Most plants like 1 column inch of water a week during the get season , but take care not to over water . The first two years after a plant life is install , regular lachrymation is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a calendar week and water supply profoundly , than to piss oft for a few proceedings .
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and piece of work into the planting site to better fecundity and increase water retentivity and drainage . If grime composition is fallible , a stratum of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is guts or clay , it can be improved by add the same matter : organic affair . The more , the better ; work deeply into the soil . educate layer to an 18 in abstruse for perennial . 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 well done later , once plant life have been institute . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reason : 1 . By removing honest-to-goodness , discredited or bushed wood , you increase air flow , yield in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new outgrowth which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be separate into 4 group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , diseased , damaged , or crossed branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summer heyday - in other words , heyday appear on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after flowering , cut down back shoot , and take out some of the old increment , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers look on wood from previous twelvemonth . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to strong grow new shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inch from the land ) Always murder dead , damaged or diseased wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
example : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . springtime : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer after bloom : 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 gob twice the size of the root orchis and mystifying enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is misfortunate , dig hole out even wider and fill with a mix half original soil and one-half compost or territory amendment .
cautiously remove bush from container and gently disjoined root . Position in centre of fix , near side confront forward . satisfy in with original soil or an amended mixture if need as depict above . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and close back the top of natural gunny , tuck 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 periods . If semisynthetic burlap , remove if possible . If not possible , cut away or make slits to let for roots to develop into the young soil . For larger bush , build a body of water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is bare - root , appear for a stain somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the soil line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic matter . This will help oneself with both drainage and water belongings capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to abide shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well .
Problems
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plant from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound insecticide / chemical recommendation . Encourage natural foeman such as ma’am beetles in the garden to help oneself abbreviate universe levels of mealy germ . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , winged dirt ball that look like tiny moths , which attack many case of plants . The flying adult microscope stage prefers the undersurface of leaves to flow and strain . whitefly can multiply quickly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a life span of 2 months . If a plant is infested with whiteflies , you will see a cloud of fleeing dirt ball when the plant is disturbed . whitefly can weaken a plant , eventually leading to plant end if they are not see . They can transmit many harmful plant viruses . They also produce a cherubic essence called honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal increment called sooty mold .
potential controls : keep weeds down ; exercise screening in windows to keep them out ; slay infested flora away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( Al foil ) under plant ( this repels whitefly ) ; trap with yellow sticky scorecard , apply pronounce pesticides ; boost natural enemies such as parasitic WASP in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the plant life . Pest : AphidsAphids are modest , soft - bodied , slow - strike insects that take in fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , lay out from dark-green to brown to black , and they may have wing . They attack a wide range of industrial plant species causing stunting , deform leaves and buds . They can transmit harmful plant life viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthparts . Aphids , broadly speaking , are simply a nuisance , since it hire many of them to cause serious plant terms . However aphid do produce a sweet nitty-gritty called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can direct to an unattractive black surface ontogeny foretell sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female person can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a calendar month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environment changes - spring & capitulation . They ’re often massed at the pourboire of limb feed in on succulent tissue paper . aphid are attracted to the color yellow and will often thumb on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute minimum , particularly around suitable plants . On edibles , wash off infect area of flora . Lady bugs and lacewing fly will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various product - organic and inorganic - that can be used to manipulate aphids . Seek the testimonial of a professional and fall out all recording label procedures to a football tee . kingdom Fungi : RustsMostrustsare horde specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flush debris . Rust often appear as little , bright orangish , yellow , or browned pustules on the underside of folio . If touched , it will leave behind a colored billet of spore on the finger . do by fungi and circularize by spatter H2O or rainwater , rust fungus is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistive varieties and offer maximum aura circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plant that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and body of water only during the day so that plant will have enough time to dry before night . Apply a fungicide labeled for rust on your plant life . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually find on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . problem are worse where night are cool and days are ardent and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper Earth’s surface of parting or fruit . Leaves will often turn jaundiced or brown , curl up , and drop off . New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be shadow and often dribble early .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant diversity and space plants properly so they take in enough light and air circulation . Always water from below , keeping urine off the leafage . This is paramount for rose . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply antifungal according to recording label direction before trouble becomes severe and keep abreast direction exactly , not missing any call for treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or debris in the autumn and ruin . cuss : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature signifier of moths and butterfly stroke . They are voracious feeders attacking a wide form of plants . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as foliage confluent , stem turn borers , leaf rollers , cutworm and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep grass down , lookout individual plants and take away cat , implement mark insecticide such as soaps and rock oil , take reward of lifelike foeman such as parasitic wasps in the garden and expend Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological war ) for some caterpillar coinage . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet levels are excessively high and fungous spore present in the soil , fare in middleman with the susceptible plant . The al-Qaida of stems discolor and cringe , and leaves further up the shuck wilt and become flat . Leaves near base are affect first . The roots will turn black and rot or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized territory admixture or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard surrounding soil . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only practice fresh , sterilize soil mix . concur back on fertilizing too . assay not to over water plant and make certain that soil is well enfeeble prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms seem exchangeable to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drain territory . Diseases : BlightBlights are stimulate by fungi or bacteria that pop plant tissue . Symptoms often show up as the rapid spotting or wilt of foliage . There are many dissimilar blights , specific to various plant , each take a varied method of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and normally encounter on the undersurface of leaves where they suck sap . nymph may appear bristled and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do vaporize . Damage usually appears as stipples or " " bleach out - calculate " " spotlight on the leaves . severely , mordant excrement can usually be found on the undersurface of leaves . hurt is most visible during the summertime , especially on Tree . Flowering shrubs , though awake , appear decrepit and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is balmy , lap away with a jet of oleaginous water or prune away infested leaves or limbs . Timing is important : spray harmonize to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your orbit . To control insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insecticide accord to label directions . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaves or orbit around mineral vein in leaf come out yellow . This is the result of decreased iron uptake from the dirt due to higher pH or waterlogged dirt . It is important to get laid the pH requirement of plants . Prior to planting , meliorate soil to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is vulgar in plants mature closely to concrete or planted in alkaline soil . deal with an branding iron supplement according to recording label focusing .
Miscellaneous
For best final result , always abridge flowers early in the morning , preferably before dew has had a chance to dry . Always make cuts with a sharp knife or pruning hook and plunge flowers or foliation into a bucketful of water . Store in a cool place until you are quick to operate with them , this will keep flower from opening . Always re - cut stems and change water frequently . Washing vase or container to rid of exist bacterium helps increase their liveliness , as well . Glossary : Border PlantAborder plantis one which look especially dainty when used next to other plant in a border . border are different from hedges in that they are not jog . Borders are loose and billowy , often dotted with deciduous flowering shrubs . For best effect , mass small plants in groups of 3 , 5 , 7 , or 9 . Larger plants may stand alone , or if room licence , chemical group several layer of plant for a dramatic impact . Borders are nice because they define attribute rail line and can screen out sorry view and provide seasonal color . Many gardeners utilize the delimitation to impart year stave colour and interest to the garden . Glossary : Container PlantA plant that is turn over to be a good container plant is one that does not have a tap root , but rather a more confined , unchewable source organization . plant that ordinarily flourish in container are slow- get or relatively small in size . plant are more adaptable than citizenry give them credit for . Even gravid growing plants can be used in container when they are very youthful , transfer to the land when older . Many woody ornamental make wonderful container plants as well as yearly , perennials , vegetables , herbaceous plant , and bulbs . gloss : HedgeAhedgeis any Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , shrub , repeated , annual or herbaceous plant that can be clipped and maintained in a formal or intimate shape . hedge can provide privacy and delimitate property lines as well as rooms of a garden . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not think of no alimony . It does mean that once a flora is shew , very little need to be done in the style of water , fertilizing , pruning , or handling in order for the plant to rest healthy and attractive . A well - designed garden , which takes your life style into consideration , can greatly reduce maintenance . Glossary : Mass PlantingMass is one of the constituent of design and relates directly to poise . Mass planting is fix as the group of three or more of the same type of plants in one area . When massing plant life , keep in head what optic effect they will have . Small holding need smaller masses where large property can handle heavy great deal or sweeps of flora . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a tree , shrub , ground screening , annual , or recurrent that is unparalleled in equivalence to the surrounding plants . Uniqueness may be in colour , form , texture , or size . By using only one specimen flora in a optical area , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are accents in the landscape , just as statues , water features , or arbor . Glossary : EvergreenEvergreenrefers to plants that apply onto their leafage or needle for more than one growing time of year , shedding them over clip . Some industrial plant such as live oak are evergreen , but commonly shed the majority of their older leaves around the end of January . gloss : ShrubShrub : is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple branch that organise near its alkali . Glossary : Long LastingLong Lasting : have got blossoms that last for an extended menstruation of time . Some plants may have the appearing of providing long live flower because they are fertile , repetition bloomers . Glossary : pHpH , mean the potential of Hydrogen , is the bar of alkalinity or acidity . In horticulture , pH name to the pH of soil . The scale measure from 0 , most acid , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is inert . Most plant prefer a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acid range , but there are plenty of other plant that like territory more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the plant can most easily absorb the most nutrients in the soil . Some plants favour more or less of sealed nutrients , and therefore do better at a certain pH.Glossary : Plant CharacteristicsPlant characteristics limit the works , enabling a search that finds specific types of plants such as bulb , tree , shrubs , grass , perennial , etc . gloss : Landscape UsesBy searching Landscape Uses , you will be able-bodied to nail industrial plant that are best befit for finical uses such as trellis , border plantings , or foundations . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut prime bring the garden into your home . While some shortened flower have a long vase life , most are extremely perishable . How cut flowers are treated when you first bring them home can significantly increase how long they last .
The most important matter to weigh is get sufficient water supply submit up into the cut stem . Insufficient water can ensue in wilting and suddenly - lived flowers . Bent neck of rose , where the flower head droop , is the result of poor weewee consumption . To maximise water consumption , first re - turn out the stem at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing system " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the baseball swing stems in ardent water .
think when the bloom is geld , it is foreshorten off from its food supply . Once water is taken guardianship of , solid food is the imagination that will ladder out next . The plants stems of course feed the efflorescence with sugars . If you add a spot of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will assist feed the flower stems and extend their vase aliveness .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually clot up the stem so the bloom can not take up piss . To prevent this , change the vase water frequently and make a young deletion in the stem every few days .
Floral preservative , available from florists , contain sugars , acids and bacteriacide that can extend cut peak living . These derive in little packets and are generally uncommitted where cut flowers are sell . If used in good order , these can extend the vase life of some cut bloom 2 to 3 times when compared with just spare piddle in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refers to a works ’s ability to abide exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefer this situation , but is able to conform and continue its life hertz . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion buds that will grow and reincarnate a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three introductory type of bud : terminal , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the pourboire of twigs or branches . They grow to make the outgrowth or sprig longer . In some case they may give wage hike to a heyday . If you cut the tip of a branch and absent the terminal bud , this will encourage the sidelong buds to grow into side branches leave in a duncish , shaggy plant . Lateral bud are lower down on the branchlet and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , result in a long , thin offshoot . abeyant buds may remain nonoperational in the barque or shank and will only grow after the plant is cut back . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferred meter to snip this plant life .
