Daily Plant: Azalea

Azaleas are apart of the rhododendron genus and can be either evergreen or deciduous, They are slow growing shrubs that are shade tolerant and love being grown under or near trees which make them perfect for garden beds around trees as they like slightly acidic soil and under trees the ground will be more acidic because of the organic matter that will fall from the trees and breakdown.

Azaleas will bloom in spring and last for up to several weeks, but spring time for the azaleas is also a prime time for diseases to interrupt the flowering. Leafy gal is a disease that can attack the leaves in early spring and can also attack the flowers which is why its important to identify this early and prune flowers and pick any leaves effected to keep the plant healthy as a sick plant will be open to more disease as it can be a snowball effect, as with any diseased pruning's its best to discard/ burn these as putting into the compost bin will allow the problem to come back again.

Above are two pictures, One is an Azalea and both are Rhododendrons confused?. Well because the Azalea is apart of the rhododendron genus that makes them both rhododendron. But in terms of identifying them from each other there are a few key points, Azaleas have 5 stamens while rhododendrons have 10 or more, Azaleas are either evergreen or deciduous and rhododendrons are only evergreen, Azaleas are small to medium shrubs and rhododendrons range form prostrate shrubs to trees.

In the USA the Masters tournament at Augusta national golf club in Georgia is famous for its many plant named golf holes and the 13th hole is named Azalea and is shown above and as you can see what can be done with Azaleas when planted together with many contrasting colours that complement each other. Thanks for reading and have fun in the garden.