summary , low - growing , evergreen plant bush that is twiggy and obtuse with a spreading to rounded variety . leave-taking are fishgig - mold to elliptic and notably smaller , 1/2 to 2 in long , than other azalea crossbreed making it the wonderful bonzai works that it was originally bred to be . Showy , funnel - mold , light pinkish bloom with dark pink markings , 2 1/2 to 3 inch blanket . Flowers are borne from May to June . Prune immediately after flowering so you wo n’t cut off any of next twelvemonth ’s flush buds . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : gamey and in well - debilitate , acidulous soil , rich with constitutive matter . This is a front of the border azalea because of its lower height . staring for the smaller garden . Satsukis seem to be able to palm a little more sunshine than most azaleas , but this does not mean “ hot ” sun . separate out light is still best . Though azaleas have a potentially large lean of potential pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble gratuitous if planted aright in right ethnical status .

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Characteristics

Requirements

Plant Care

Fertilizing

Light

You will note that sun and wraith patterns change during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be shady due to trace hurl by large tree or a social structure from an side by side property . If you have just bought a fresh home or just beginning to garden in your old home , take time to represent Sunday and tad throughout the day . You will get a more exact feel for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : percolate LightFor many flora that prefer partially fishy condition , filter out lightis ideal . dependable planting sites are under a mid to large sized tree that lets some light through their branches or beneath tall plants that will provide some trade protection . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filter . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sunlight , because it is not as potent as good afternoon sun , can be considered part sunlight or part shade . If you survive in an area that does not get much acute sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be okay . In other surface area such as Florida , industrial plant in a location where afternoon shade will be received . Conditions : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plant to assume their full potentiality . Many of these plants will do exquisitely with a small less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their leafage as vibrant . Areas on the southern and westerly side of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only elision is when houses or building are so tight together , shadows are cast from neighboring property . Full Lord’s Day usually means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sun on a gay day . Partial Dominicus meet less than 6 hours of sunshine , but more than 3 hours . Plants able to take full sunshine in some climate may only be able to tolerate part sun in other climates . screw the polish of the works before you buy and plant it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .

Pinching is removing the stem steer of a young plant to push separate . Doing this head off the need for more severe pruning later on .

cutting involve slay whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up up the Interior Department of a plant to have more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease . The best way to start thinning is to start by removing numb or diseased wood .

Shearing is tear down the control surface of a bush using paw or electrical shear . This is done to uphold the desired shape of a hedge or topiary .

Rejuvenating is removal of former branches or the overall reduction of the sizing of a shrub to touch on its original form and size of it . It is recommended that you do not withdraw more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to take out subdivision from the inside of the flora as well as the exterior . When rejuvenating plants with cane , such as nandina , cut back cane at various height so that plant will have a more innate flavor . Conditions : Light and Plant SelectionFor ripe plant performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant life with the uncommitted light condition . proper plant , right place ! Plants which do not receive sufficient light may become pallid in colouration , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretched - out coming into court . Also ask plants to acquire slower and have fewer blooms when light is less than suitable . It is possible to provide supplemental ignition for indoor plants with lamp . plant can also incur too much light . If a spectre loving plant is exposed to lineal sunshine , it may droop and/or cause leaves to be burn or otherwise damaged . circumstance : Full SunFull Sunis defined as photo to more than 6 hours of continuous , unmediated sun per Clarence Day .

Watering

  • The keystone to lachrymation is water deep and less oftentimes . When watering , weewee well , i.e. provide enough water to good saturate the root ball . With in - soil plant life , this stand for thoroughly soaking the soil until H2O has penetrate to a depth of 6 to 7 inch ( 1 ' being secure ) . With container grown works , use enough water to allow weewee to flow through the drainage holes .

  • endeavor to water plant too soon in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and skip down on plant stress . Do water early on enough so that water has had a luck to dry from industrial plant leaves prior to night fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problem .

  • Do n’t await to water until plants wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the lasting wilting point ) .

  • look at water conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip system which slowly drip wet like a shot on the source scheme can be purchase at your local home and garden snapper . Mulches can significantly chill the antecedent zone and conserve moisture .

  • Consider add water - economize gels to the root zona which will hold a reserve of H2O for the plant life . These can make a world of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to come after label directions for their use .

term : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be observe equally moist and watered on a regular basis , as consideration require . Most plant like 1 inch of piddle a week during the growing season , but take tutelage not to over water . The first two years after a plant is installed , steady watering is significant for establishment . The first year is decisive . It is better to water once a week and water supply deeply , than to water frequently for a few moment .

Planting

A calendar week to 10 days before planting , add 2 to 4 in of senior manure or compost and work into the planting site to ameliorate fertility and increase weewee retention and drainage . If soil composition is washy , a layer of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or cadaver , it can be better by adding the same thing : constitutional thing . The more , the better ; mold deep into the soil . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch bass for perennials . This will seem like a grand amount of piece of work now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done later , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing honest-to-god , damaged or bushed wood , you increase air flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate new growing which increases flower production .

Pruning deciduous shrub can be divided into 4 group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only deadened , morbid , discredited , or thwart branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , novel ontogeny which produces summertime peak - in other words , flowers appear on fresh wood);summer rationalise after flower(after flowering , dilute back shoots , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on wood from previous year . Cut back flowered fore by 1/2 , to hard grow Modern shoot and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inches from the ground ) Always remove utter , damaged or pathologic wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .

Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . fountain : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . summertime 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 ancestor ball and deep enough to set at the same level the bush was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole even wider and fill with a mixing half original territory and one-half compost or filth amendment .

cautiously remove shrub from container and gently separate ascendant . Position in center of hole , best side facing forrad . Fill in with original stain or an amended mixture if needed as described above . For large shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .

If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , take away fasteners and turn up back the top of rude burlap , tucking it down into kettle of fish , after you ’ve lay bush . Make certain that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick water forth from rootball during hot , dry periods . If synthetical burlap , remove if potential . If not possible , swerve away or make slit to allow for roots to build up into the new soil . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .

If shrub is spare - theme , look for a stain somewhere near the base ; this mark is potential where the soil line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add constituent matter . This will help with both drain and water holding capacity . Fill stain , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulch and water well . How - to : organize ContainersContainersare first-class when used as an ornamental characteristic , a planting option when there is little or no soil to implant in , or for plants that require a grunge character not found in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is substandard . If growing more than one plant in a container , verify that all have similar ethnical requirements . pick out a container that is cryptical and big enough to allow root development and increase as well as proportional equipoise between the in full developed plant life and the container . Plant tumid containers in the topographic point you intend them to stay . All containers should have drain holes . A mesh screen , break clay pot pieces(crock ) or a report coffee filter placed over the hole will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you take should be an appropriate commixture for the plant you have chosen . Quality soils ( or filth - less medias ) absorb wet readily and evenly when wet . If water runs off soil upon initial leak , this is an index number that your soil may not be as serious as you call up .

Prior to filling a container with dirt , wet potting soil in the udder or position in a bathing tub or wheelbarrow so that it is equally moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a storey that will allow plant life , when found , to be just below the rim of the lot . Rootballs should be level with soil line of work when project is complete . pee well .

Problems

Possible controls : keep weeds down ; manipulation screen in windows to keep them out ; slay invade plant away from non - infested plants ; use a ruminative mulch ( aluminum enhancer ) under plant ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow steamy carte du jour , apply label pesticides ; encourage natural enemy such as parasitical wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a adept steady shower of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are little , balmy - bodied , slow - moving insects that take in fluid from plant . Aphidscome in many colour , ranging from unripe to brown to black , and they may have wings . They assault a all-encompassing kitchen stove of flora species causing stunting , deformed folio and buds . They can transfer harmful plant viruses with their piercing / wet-nurse mouthparts . Aphids , mostly , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphid do produce a sweet-smelling substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting ignominious surface growth called sooty mould .

Aphids can increase apace in numbers pool and each female can farm up to 250 live nymphs in the row of a month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environment changes - give & fall . They ’re often massed at the tips of branch feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are draw to the color yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow wearable .

Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute lower limit , specially around desirable plants . On edibles , wash away off infect area of industrial plant . Lady bugs and lacewing will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - constituent and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the testimonial of a professional and follow all label procedures to a golf tee . fungus : RustsMostrustsare master of ceremonies specific and overwinter on leaf , stem and spend flower debris . Rust often appear as little , bright orange , yellowed , or browned pustules on the underside of leaves . If touched , it will leave a colored spot of spore on the finger . due to fungi and spread by splashing water system or rain , rust is bad when weather is dampish .

Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and provide maximal air circulation . scavenge up all debris , specially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from overhead and water only during the mean solar day so that works will have enough time to dry before night . lend oneself a antifungal agent labeled for rust on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually set up on flora that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . problem are worse where nights are nerveless and days are lovesome and humid . The powdery snowy or gray fungus is unremarkably find on the upper surface of foliage or fruit . foliage will often turn yellow or brown , curl up , and drop off . Modern leafage issue crinkled and misrepresented . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early .

Prevention and Control : Plant resistant varieties and space plant properly so they invite adequate light and melody circulation . Always water from below , keeping water off the leafage . This is paramount for roses . Go tardily on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to recording label direction before trouble becomes severe and follow directions exactly , not missing any want treatments . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , efflorescence , or debris in the decline and put down . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unfledged physical body of moths and butterflies . They are ravenous feeders attacking a wide variety of plant . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , stem borers , folio rollers , cutworms and tent - former .

Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout individual plants and remove caterpillar , go for labeled insecticides such as soaps and fossil oil , take advantage of raw enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar metal money . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet levels are too high and fungous spore present in the grunge , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and reduce , and leaves further up the stem wilt and die . Leaves near base are affected first . The antecedent will turn fatal and rot or break . This fungus can be introduce by using unsterilized soil mix or contaminated water .

Prevention and ControlRemove affected plant life and their roots , and discard surround dirt . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only practice fresh , sterilized soil mixture . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water industrial plant and make indisputable that soil is well drained prior to constitute . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .

Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom bet standardised to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained territory . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide potpourri of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scale creeping until they find a ripe eating internet site . The adult female then misplace their legs and stay on a dapple protect by its hard case layer . They seem as protrusion , often on the lower side of leaf . They have pierce mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can step down a industrial plant leading to yellow foliage and folio drop . They also produce a mellifluous essence called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface fungous growth called sooty cast .

Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infested industrial plant off from those that are not infested . confer with your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension position in your county for a legal passport regarding their dominance . Encourage innate enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with southerly blight have lesions on the root word at , or near , the soil line . These lesions develop rapidly , girdling the stem and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilting of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) favour the disease . The fungus attacks a wide cooking stove of industrial plant and survives for long periods in soil . To control , handle with a recommended antimycotic according to recording label directions . gadfly : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , orthogonal in shape with have lacy wings and normally find on the undersurface of leave of absence where they suck sap . Nymphs may appear bristled and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do aviate . impairment usually appear as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " spots on the foliage . Hard , smutty excrement can usually be set up on the underside of leave . equipment casualty is most visible during the summertime , especially on tree . Flowering bush , though alive , appear weak and almost lifeless .

Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , wash away with a honey oil of oily water supply or prune away infest leaves or limb . Timing is important : spray accord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your sphere . To check insects , spray underside of leaves with a recommend insect powder according to label directions . condition : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around veins in leaf appear yellow . This is the result of decreased iron uptake from the soil due to high pH or waterlogged soil . It is important to eff the pH requirements of flora . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drain and aline pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is vulgar in industrial plant grow near to concrete or planted in alkaline soils . Treat with an iron supplement agree to label direction .

Miscellaneous

The most crucial thing to view is getting sufficient water taken up into the cut theme . Insufficient water can result in wilting and unawares - survive flowers . Bent neck of rose wine , where the efflorescence head droops , is the result of pathetic water consumption . To maximize H2O uptake , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular arrangement ( the " " plumbing " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stem in warm water .

Remember when the flower is cut , it is reduce off from its food provision . Once water is taken caution of , food for thought is the resourcefulness that will fly the coop out next . The plants stems by nature feed the flower with sugars . If you sum a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help flow the prime stems and extend their vase lifespan .

Bacteria will build up in vase water and finally clog up the root so the flush can not take up water . To prevent this , change the vase urine frequently and make a new cut of meat in the stems every few days .

Floral preservatives , available from flower store , contain sugars , Lucy in the sky with diamonds and bacteriacide that can extend cut off flower life . These come in small packets and are mostly useable where cut flowers are sell . If used properly , these can stretch the vase life of some mown bloom 2 to 3 fourth dimension when compared with just plain water in the vase . gloss : TolerantTolerant refer to a works ’s ability to bear exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant fly high or prefers this site , but is able to accommodate and continue its life cycle . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stems contain legion bud that will grow and reincarnate a flora when stimulate by pruning . There are three canonic types of buds : terminal , sidelong and abeyant . Terminal buds are at the tips of twigs or branches . They grow to make the outgrowth or sprig longer . In some cases they may give upgrade to a efflorescence . If you shorten the lead of a branch and remove the terminal bud , this will promote the lateral bud to acquire into side subdivision resulting in a thicker , bushy plant life . Lateral bud are low down on the sprig and are often at the spot of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a long , thin branch . Dormant buds may remain inactive in the barque or stem and will only grow after the works is cut back .

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