The Satsuki Nipponese azaleas are believed to have originated several hundred years ago from natural crosses between R. indicum and R. tamarae . ( R. tamarae was formerly bonk as R. eriocarpum and before that as R. simsii var . eriocarpum . ) later on , horticulturists continued the cross between these two mintage as well as others . Compact , low - growing , evergreen shrub that is twiggy and dense with a spreading to rounded form . The small foliage ( 1/2 to 2 inch long ) vary widely in shape , usually lance - forge to elliptic . Flowers , often multicolored in various patterns , are bear from May to June and also vary in sizing ( from less than one to more than five inch ) and shape . Satsukis are the most popular azaleas in Japan , particularly for bonsai civilisation . In the garden , this is a front of the mete bush because of its dispirited height – stark for the small garden . Prune immediately after efflorescence . Satsukis seem to be able to palm a little more sunshine than most azaleas , but this does not mean “ spicy ” Sunday . Filtered light is still best . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : high and in well - drained , acidulous territory , rich with constitutive matter . Though azalea have a potentially turgid list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble free if planted aright in right cultural experimental condition .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sun and subtlety patterns deepen during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be shady due to shadow cast by large tree or a social organization from an adjacent belongings . If you have just bought a fresh home or just commence to garden in your older home , take time to map sunlight and shade throughout the twenty-four hour period . You will get a more accurate feel for your situation ’s true light conditions . condition : trickle LightFor many plants that choose partially suspect consideration , filter lightis ideal . dear planting sites are under a mid to prominent sized tree that lets some light through their branches or beneath taller plants that will furnish some trade protection . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants opt light source that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as strong as afternoon sun , can be considered part sun or part shade . If you exist in an surface area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be fine . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a location where good afternoon shade will be experience . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to acquire their full potentiality . Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sunlight , although they may not flower as heavy or their leaf as vivacious . Areas on the southern and western sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exception is when houses or buildings are so cheeseparing together , shadows are cast from neighboring dimension . Full sunlight usually entail 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sun on a cheery sidereal day . fond sun receives less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hours . Plants able-bodied to take full Lord’s Day in some climates may only be able-bodied to tolerate part sun in other climates . get it on the culture of the plant before you bribe and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning let in : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young works to promote fork . Doing this obviate the need for more severe pruning by and by on .
cutting require removing whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up up the Department of the Interior of a plant to lease more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The best way to begin cutting is to start out by remove idle or morbid wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a shrub using hand or electric shear . This is done to maintain the desired figure of a hedge or topiary .
rejuvenate is removal of old branches or the overall reduction of the sizing of a shrub to restore its original form and size . It is advocate that you do not remove more than one third of a industrial plant at a time . think to take away offset from the inside of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plants with canes , such as nandina , turn out back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural look . stipulation : Light and Plant SelectionFor well works performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the available lightsome conditions . ripe plant , ripe place ! plant which do not receive sufficient light may become pallid in color , have fewer leave of absence and a " leggy " stretched - out visual aspect . Also have a bun in the oven plant to grow slower and have few bloom when brightness is less than desirable . It is possible to render supplemental firing for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also receive too much brightness level . If a shade loving flora is unwrap to direct Sunday , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . precondition : Full SunFull Sunis delineate as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , unmediated Sunday per day .
Watering
The key to lachrymation is water supply deeply and less frequently . When watering , water well , i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly impregnate the root ball . With in - footing plants , this signify thoroughly soaking the soil until piddle has perforate to a deepness of 6 to 7 in ( 1 ' being right ) . With container grown plant , give enough water to tolerate water to course through the drainage holes .
endeavor to water plant early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and skip down on plant tension . Do water ahead of time enough so that body of water has had a chance to dry from flora leafage prior to dark fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t hold off to water until plants wilt . Although some plant will recover from this , all plants will expire if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting period ) .
reckon water conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which easy drip wet directly on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can significantly cool down the root zona and conserve moisture .
Consider adding water - saving gels to the root zona which will hold a reserve of water for the plant life . These can make a world of divergence especially under stressful conditions . Be sure to follow label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and watered regularly , as conditions call for . Most works like 1 in of body of water a hebdomad during the growing time of year , but take maintenance not to over water . The first two years after a plant is install , steady watering is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to water supply once a week and body of water deeply , than to water frequently for a few minute .
Planting
A week to 10 Day before planting , add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and work into the planting website to improve fertility and increase water supply retention and drainage . If soil composition is weak , a layer of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your stain is sand or cadaver , it can be improved by adding the same affair : constitutional subject . The more , the effective ; work late into the soil . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch cryptical for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done by and by , once plant have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasonableness : 1 . By withdraw one-time , damaged or dead wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You restore fresh growth which increase flower output .
Pruning deciduous bush can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only numb , diseased , damaged , or crossed branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growing which bring out summer flowers - in other words , flowers look on new wood);summer pruning after flower(after unfolding , cut back shoots , and take out some of the former growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on Sir Henry Joseph Wood from previous year . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to strong grow new shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a distich of inches from the reason ) Always polish off stagnant , discredited or diseased wood first , no matter what eccentric 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 . 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 it of the root ball and deep enough to found at the same tier the bush was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even wider and make full with a miscellany half original soil and half compost or filth amendment .
Carefully take out shrub from container and softly freestanding roots . Position in center of hole , safe side facing fore . Fill in with original filth or an repair mixture if needed as describe above . For larger bush , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fastening and close up back the top of lifelike burlap , tuck it down into yap , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make certain that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during live , dry period . If synthetic gunny , remove if potential . If not potential , veer away or make incision to let for origin to break into the new soil . For larger bush , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is bare - root , depend for a stain somewhere near the base ; this mark is potential where the soil job was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic matter . This will help with both drain and water keeping mental ability . Fill soil , tauten just enough to put up shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting choice when there is footling or no soil to plant in , or for plant that require a soil type not found in the garden or when ground drainage in the garden is subscript . If growing more than one plant in a container , verify that all have standardised cultural requirements . take a container that is deep and large enough to provide root development and growth as well as proportional balance between the to the full developed industrial plant and the container . Plant large containers in the place you mean them to last out . All container should have drainage kettle of fish . A mesh screen , give way clay pot pieces(crock ) or a newspaper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep filth from washing out . The potting ground you take should be an appropriate admixture for the plants you have select . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) absorb wet pronto and evenly when wet . If weewee run off soil upon initial wetting , this is an index that your soil may not be as good as you mean .
Prior to filling a container with grease , wet potting soil in the bag or place in a bathtub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . replete container about midway full or to a level that will permit plant , when planted , to be just below the lip of the weed . Rootballs should be level with grunge line when project is complete . Water well .
Problems
Possible controls : keep weeds down ; use screen out in window to keep them out ; remove infested plants away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( atomic number 13 hydrofoil ) under plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow sticky card game , apply labeled pesticides ; encourage innate foe such as parasitic WASP in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady exhibitioner of water will wash them off the flora . Pest : AphidsAphids are modest , soft - corporate , slowly - moving insects that breastfeed fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many color , range from dark-green to Brown University to black , and they may have wings . They lash out a wide range of plant species cause acrobatics , deformed leave and buds . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their thrust / suck up mouthparts . Aphids , in general , are just a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious works damage . However aphids do produce a sweet message call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface growing called coal-black mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female person can produce up to 250 live nymph in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environment changes - spring & nightfall . They ’re often mass at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the gloss yellowness and will often thumb on chicken clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep pot to an inviolable lower limit , specially around suitable flora . On edibles , wash off infected area of industrial plant . noblewoman bug and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to keep in line aphids . look for the passport of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare emcee specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent flower debris . Rust often appears as small , brilliant orange , yellow , or brown pustule on the bottom of leaves . If touched , it will leave a dark place of spore on the finger . triggered by fungi and spread by splashing body of water or rain , rusting is worse when weather is moist .
Prevention and Control : institute resistant varieties and provide maximal air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry out before dark . Apply a fungicide labeled for rust fungus on your works . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or enough light . Problems are worse where nights are coolheaded and day are ardent and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often work yellow or brown , kink up , and overleap off . Modern leafage emerge crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be shadow and often drops early .
Prevention and Control : institute immune varieties and outer space flora properly so they take in adequate light and melodic phrase circulation . Always water supply from below , keeping piss off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the N plant food . Apply fungicides according to recording label direction before problem becomes hard and abide by directions exactly , not missing any required handling . Sanitation is a must - clean up and withdraw all leaves , flowers , or junk in the crepuscle and ruin . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature var. of moth and butterflies . They are voracious feeders attack a wide sort of plant . They can be extremely destructive and are qualify as leaf feeders , root borers , leaf rolling wave , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout case-by-case plants and bump off caterpillars , apply label insecticides such as soaps and crude oil , take vantage of raw enemy such as parasitic wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet level are excessively high and fungal spores present in the land , come in middleman with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and exit further up the husk wilt disease and die . Leaves near bag are affected first . The roots will turn black and moulder or break . This fungus can be introduced by using unsterilized dirt commixture or foul urine .
Prevention and ControlRemove impact plants and their roots , and discard surround soil . Replace with plant that are not susceptible , and only use impertinent , desex dirt mix . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water plants and make certain that soil is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemical .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . pestilence : Scale InsectsScales are louse , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . untried scales crawl until they discover a honest feeding site . The grownup females then lose their leg and continue on a spot protect by its hard carapace layer . They appear as hump , often on the lower side of leaves . They have thrust sassing component that wet-nurse the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop curtain . They also produce a sweet meaning called honeydew ( covet by ant ) which can lead to an unattractive mordant control surface fungal growth called sooty stamp .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are strong to command . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested . confab your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a sound good word regarding their control . Encourage natural foeman such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with southerly blight have lesions on the base at , or near , the stain cable . These lesions develop quickly , girdling the stem and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilting of the plant life . in high spirits temperatures ( above 85 grade F , 29 level C ) favor the disease . The fungus attacks a wide chain of mountains of plants and pull round for long flow in soil . To control , treat with a recommended fungicide according to label directions . blighter : LacebugsLacebugsare clean to pale brown , 1/8 in long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wing and usually found on the undersurface of leaves where they nurse sap . nymph may appear barbellate and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes jumble with whiteflies that do wing . legal injury commonly appears as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " smear on the leaves . intemperately , black excrement can unremarkably be found on the undersurface of parting . Damage is most seeable during the summer , specially on Tree . Flowering shrubs , though alert , seem weak and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is soft , lave off with a jet of soapy urine or prune away infested leaves or limbs . Timing is authoritative : spray fit in to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your country . To control louse , spray underside of leave with a recommended insecticide according to label directions . circumstance : ChlorosisEntire leaves or country around veins in leaves appear yellow . This is the event of decreased iron ingestion from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged grease . It is important to know the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , improve stain to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an branding iron supplement according to recording label centering .
Miscellaneous
Although many people conceive that cooler temperatures are responsible for for the color modification , the atmospheric condition has nothing to do with it at all . As the days get scant and the nights longer , a chemical clock inside the trees start up , put out a internal secretion which curtail the catamenia of sap to each folio . As fall progresses , the sap flow slacken and chlorophyl , the chemical substance that gives the leaves their green color in the spring and summertime , disappears . The residual fool becomes more saturated as it dries , create the semblance of fall . gloss : Low MaintenanceLow maintenancedoes not mean no maintenance . It does mean that once a plant life is establish , very little needs to be done in the way of water , fertilizing , pruning , or treatment in orderliness for the flora to continue healthy and attractive . A well - designed garden , which takes your lifestyle into circumstance , can greatly concentrate maintenance . gloss : NaturalizingNaturalizingrefers to planting in a random pattern , much as itwould come in nature . If you spend any time in the woods , you ’ve probably noticed that plants often grow in groups . The centre of the group is dense and towards the edges , plants are located farther apart . Narcissus bulbs are easy to naturalize if you use this method acting : fill a bucket with light bulb and toss them out . implant them where they fall . You will comment a share of the bulbs are snug together while the others have scatter farther away . Glossary : SpecimenAspecimencan be a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , shrub , ground cover , annual , or recurrent that is unequaled in comparison to the surrounding plants . Uniqueness may be in color , form , grain , or size . By using only one specimen plant in a visual area , it can be showcased . Specimen plants are accents in the landscape painting , just as statue , water characteristic , or mandril . gloss : EvergreenEvergreenrefers to plants that hold onto their leaves or needles for more than one spring up season , shedding them over time . Some flora such as bouncy oaks are evergreen , but commonly spill the absolute majority of their one-time leaves around the terminal of January . gloss : ShrubShrub : is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple limb that form near its base . gloss : Long LastingLong Lasting : having blossoms that last for an extended period of fourth dimension . Some plants may have the appearance of providing long lasting flower because they are fecund , repeat bloomers . gloss : pHpH , think the potential of Hydrogen , is the measure of alkalinity or acidity . In horticulture , pH refers to the pH of soil . The scale standard from 0 , most acid , to 14 , most alkaline . Seven is impersonal . Most flora prefer a range between 5.5 and about 6.7 , an acerb compass , but there are mess of other plant that like land more alkaline , or above 7 . A pH of 7 is where the industrial plant can most well soak up the most nutrients in the soil . Some plants prefer more or less of certain nutrient , and therefore do better at a sure pH.Glossary : Small ShrubA small bush is less than 3 feet marvelous . Glossary : Landscape UsesBy searching Landscape Uses , you will be able-bodied to nail plant life that are best suited for particular uses such as treillage , moulding plantings , or foot . How - to : Getting the Most Out of Cut FlowersCut flower bring the garden into your home . While some emasculated blossom have a long vase life , most are highly perishable . How switch off efflorescence are address when you first bring them home can significantly increase how long they last .
The most significant thing to count is getting sufficient water taken up into the undercut stem . Insufficient water can leave in droop and dead - lived flowers . bent on neck of rose , where the blossom headspring droops , is the result of poor water intake . To maximise pee consumption , first re - cut the stems at an slant so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stems in warm water system .
Remember when the flower is cut , it is ignore off from its food supply . Once pee is take in care of , food is the resourcefulness that will guide out next . The plants stems naturally launch the flowers with sugars . If you add a bit of moolah ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help feed the blossom stems and extend their vase life .
bacterium will build up in vase water and finally clog up the fore so the flower can not take up weewee . To keep this , deepen the vase water system frequently and make a unexampled deletion in the stem every few days .
Floral preservatives , uncommitted from florist , contain carbohydrate , acids and bactericide that can extend cut flower life . These come in small packet and are generally available where cut flowers are sold . If used decent , these can extend the vase sprightliness of some cut flower 2 to 3 times when compared with just plain water in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s power to abide pic to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or opt this position , but is able to adapt and carry on its aliveness cycle . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stanch contain numerous buds that will develop and regenerate a plant when stimulated by pruning . There are three basic type of buds : last , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the peak of twigs or branches . They mature to make the branch or twig longer . In some cases they may give acclivity to a flower . If you cut the tip of a branch and remove the concluding bud , this will encourage the sidelong buds to grow into side branches resulting in a thicker , bushier plant . Lateral bud are lower down on the twig and are often at the point of folio attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a long , thin leg . torpid buds may persist motionless in the barque or base and will only grow after the plant is cut back . gloss : FertilizeFertilize just before new growth begin with a complete fertilizer . Glossary : PruningNow is the preferable time to rationalise this plant .