A lot of our azaleas are in pretty poor shape from not being cared for for years before we bought our house and/or being planted in the wrong locations. One in particular that was planted in deep shade, and is basically a remaining branch or two. I would have thought the poor thing was a total lost cause and I was about to rip it out, but the remaining two branches just produced the most gorgeous flowers -- white with a yellow throat. I haven't seen an azalea like this before and I would love to save it and find a better spot for it.
Is there any way to root a cutting or somehow start over with this plant? How can I propagate it from what's left? It probably has a fairly sizable root ball that would be hard to dig up and transplant so I was hoping to be able to start over with what's above-ground, and with a more compact form.
[img]https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/janepd3/whiteazalea.jpg[/img]
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bullthistle
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hendi_alex
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It is easy to root cuttings from azaleas. Cut four or five inch sections of woody stem. Remove all leaves except for the top one or two. Dip the cutting in root hormone. Then stick the cuttings in sand, peat moss, vermiculite, or other such material or blend. Place the material in a deep pot so that you can cover it with clear plastic. Place the container with cutting in a shady location, and the majority will have produced roots and be ready to transplant in one gallon containers by next spring. They should make decent sized plants in three to four years. Make sure that the medium never completely dries out.
You can transplant azaleas any time of the year, just so long as you keep them well watered afterward. I would wait until after it finishes blooming, then move it. The root system will be quite shallow, so it shouldn't be difficult. (I'm 64 and disabled, and I only needed one person to help me get it out of the hole and into the new hole. We just set it on a tarp and drug it to the new location.)
If you move it immediately after it finishes blooming, you can prune a bit off the top. I wouldn't take 1/3 off the plant in your pic, though. Maybe remove about 1/2 of the area that's blooming, and nothing else, unless there's deadwood that I can't see in the pic.
If you wait and move it later, then I wouldn't prune it back at all. You'll be removing flower buds if you do.
It may take you 3 or 4 years of care to turn this azalea into the beauty it promises to be, but it will be worth the effort.
You might find this website helpful. They specialize in rhodies and azaleas, and it's where I go when I need help with mine. They have given me excellent guidance for many years. Good folks!
[url=https://www.greergardens.com/culture.htm]Greer Gardens[/url]
If you move it immediately after it finishes blooming, you can prune a bit off the top. I wouldn't take 1/3 off the plant in your pic, though. Maybe remove about 1/2 of the area that's blooming, and nothing else, unless there's deadwood that I can't see in the pic.
If you wait and move it later, then I wouldn't prune it back at all. You'll be removing flower buds if you do.
It may take you 3 or 4 years of care to turn this azalea into the beauty it promises to be, but it will be worth the effort.
You might find this website helpful. They specialize in rhodies and azaleas, and it's where I go when I need help with mine. They have given me excellent guidance for many years. Good folks!
[url=https://www.greergardens.com/culture.htm]Greer Gardens[/url]
Well, in my (amateur) experience, your best bet is the nuclear option. Unless you have a delicate hybrid or something, these plants are tough. I've had some pretty rough azaleas, both from lack of care and from one pretty serious ice storm. I kept them well fed, and just cut off everything that wasn't performing to spec. And boy, did I cut off a lot. It took about three years to come back, but they were as healthy as you could possible ask for, with the bonus that I got a fresh start and didn't have to deal with somebody else's thumbfingered pruning job.