Azaleas didn't flower this year

[Brown Thumbs]

Not sure what variety, but we have large azaleas around our house and a few out in the yard. Last spring they flowered great, I pruned afterwards like normal, but this year absolutely nothing! None of them made more than one or two flowers if that. Is this common?

[catgrass]

That seems strange. Did you prune shortly after flowering? If you pruned later than June, you may have cut off the new flower buds. Was there a hard freeze just before flowering? That would have killed off the flowers. Have you noticed any bugs, webbing or pale leaves? Did anything in the area change, as in, trees being cut down, heavy equipment working near the bushes, a summer drought?

[Brown Thumbs]

I pruned them back about 6-8 inches a week or two after they dropped the flowers. They tend to send up new growth by mid-summer so I trimmed the top of the plants around our house since they're more like shrubs in that location. I knew that I might risk some missing flowers on top, but I did not trim the sides. I also did not trim the ones out in our yard a second time...just those around the house.

We had a decent cold snap during the first week of March with some freezing rain that lasted a day or two. No trees were cut down or equipment working, etc. I don't recall the summer being especially dryer than normal last year.

Another question...I'd like to shape the ones around the house soon. Since they didn't flower when should I do this. I'm wondering if I'm too late.

That seems strange. Did you prune shortly after flowering? If you pruned later than June, you may have cut off the new flower buds. Was there a hard freeze just before flowering? That would have killed off the flowers. Have you noticed any bugs, webbing or pale leaves? Did anything in the area change, as in, trees being cut down, heavy equipment working near the bushes, a summer drought?

[catgrass]

I don't know where in the south you are, but I am about 60 miles from the Gulf, so, I'm REAL south. Down here, you can prune up to mid-may and not affect flowering for next year-so I'd say go ahead and prune. If your leaves are showing little red "specks" with some silvering color, you have azalea lace bugs, and you will need to spray for that. They can affect your flower buds.

[Brown Thumbs]

Thanks, I'll go ahead and shape them this week. I haven't seen the bugs issue that you mentioned. Just strange that none flowered this year and disappointing. We're in central MS.