Here ’s what you take to bonk about how , when , and why to prune unlike type of azalea .
Pruning azaleas is usually not necessary , but there are times when the thoughtful use of pruners enhances the coming into court of these beautiful flowering shrubs , elevate tidy outgrowth , and results in more flowers . There are several pruning strategies to keep your azaleas in top form . These admit absent discredited and morbid branches , maintain the desired shape and size of it , and upgrade good air travel circulation with selective cuts , and — when necessary — rejuvenating an honest-to-goodness , overgrown plant .
For these azalea pruning objectives , timing is decisive ; prune at the wrong metre , and you may obviate your flower show the following twelvemonth . utilize this guide to learnwhen and how to prune azalea properly .
Credit:Bob Stefko
Bob Stefko
Pruning Different Types of Azaleas
Deciduous and evergreen azaleas are all specie in theRhododendrongenus , but they differ somewhat in how they are rationalise .
Deciduous Azaleas
Deciduous azaleas , many of which are aboriginal to North America , have open , informal habits that are well suited to woodland gardens and loose landscape . They can be big — a few species grow 15 to 20 foot tall and can assume the theatrical role of a small tree . Most prime in natural spring , although a few blush in summer . Deciduous azaleas seldom need pruningbeyond removing upset or diseased branches .
Evergreen Azaleas
Evergreen azaleas mostly hail from Asia and are more dull , thickset , and lower - growing . These shrubs are often wider than they are marvelous . They graze from less than 2 feet to more than 10 feet in tallness and fulfill a variety of landscape purposes . With such a orbit of sizes , careful selection of the diverseness for your garden makes a big difference in the amount of sustenance pruning that is necessary . Most evergreen azalea flower in early to mid - spring , though some rebloom in summer and crepuscle .
In addition to remove diseased or unkept branches , gardeners usemaintenance pruningto raise the cast of evergreen plant azaleas , defend their sizing , and increase flower product . If your azalea have outgrown their space or need serious renewal , a more drastic procedure — greening pruning — is called for .
Use sharp ring road hand pruning hook for small pruning cuts ( up to ½ inch in diameter ) and long - treat pruner for larger cuts . Be certain the blade are well - sharpen so the cuts are clean .
When to Prune Azaleas
Thebest sentence to prune azalea is directly after they bloom — within three calendar week after their flowers fade . Next class ’s peak buds form the summer before they flower , so if you wait until mid - July or later to prune , youremove flower budsand reduce the following year ’s flowering display .
This timing apply to rebloomers — such as Encore Azaleas — as well . While they commonly require minimum pruning , light pruning after their outpouring efflorescence boost newfangled growth . Since they flower both on new and older growth , light pruning can increase the overall number of bloom .
Do not pruneany azalea in late summer or fall . It stimulates tender new emergence that is easily damaged by winter conditions .
There are a few exception to the timing of azalea pruning : any clip during the class that you remark a broken or morbid branch , take it , making the cut just above another branch , folio , or foliage bud . This help the flora heal and forbid disease spread . Dispose of any diseased portion of the plant in the trash , not your compost stilt .
When removing a pathologic arm , disinfect your trimmer after each cut by dipping them in a 20 % result of blanching agent in water .
Rejuvenation pruning should be done in late winter or very former outflow before new growth begins . Although rejuvenation pruning reduces or egest flowering for that year , it results in a goodish , more vigorous flora size to become your space .
Maintenance Pruning
Although azalea look their undecomposed when allowed to maintain an informal mound condition , sometimes a few wise pruning stinger are squall for to keep them looking tidy or prevent them from growing into a walkway . key out any stray shoot or stems that are encroaching on space where you do n’t want them or that detract from the overall form of the plant .
Reach into the works and polish off the stem , making the gash just above a leaf or another branch so that the cut is hide by hem in leaf . If you are making several cuts , make them slightly different lengths to conserve a lifelike mounding shape . Use hand pruner for smaller cuts and lopper for big branches . lopper are usually needed if you plan to reduce the shrub‘s size importantly . you could burn prominent branches back to about 12 inch if ask .
An additional benefit of maintenance pruning is that it allows air and light source to penetrate the center of the plant , whichhelps preclude diseaseand encourages more flower bud exploitation .
After pruning , utilize aslow - release fertilizerfor dot - loving plants around the base of the bush and water your flora well .
Rejuvenation Pruning
You may have inherited an overgrown azalea when you bought your theater , or an azalea you plant may have all outgrow its space and is overtaking a garden layer or covering a window . you’re able to give an old or overgrown azalea a new lease on life , but it take drastic measures . There are two approaches — get it done all at once or space it out over a few years . Late winter to early outflow — before new growth begins — is the best clip for either approaching .
The first scheme involves cutting all offset ( using pruner or a pruning adage ) back to about 6 to 12 inches from the solid ground . Believe it or not , those naked stumps will shoot an copiousness of Modern shoots in a few forgetful months — so many that you may require to thin them out a bit . The downside of this approach is that you recede a class of flowering . However , you will have a short , more vigorous and dense shrub debase with blooms in the following years .
The second approach is slightly more measured , although it follow the same precept . In late winter or early springiness , cut one - third of the branches of the azalea back to 6 to 12 inches . The following year , cut another third of the old growth down to the same height and repeat the next year . So , you are spreading out the operation over three season . You will still have some bloom every year , but it takes three long time to complete the desire renewal operation .
Size Matters
With their broad stove of heyday colors , azaleas are among the most gloriousspring - blooming shrub , and they come in so many sizes that it ’s easy to make them into most garden designs . If you select the right size azalea and the conditions of the internet site are to their like , only minimal pruning is needed .
Avoid a lot of work by select an azalea whose mature top and width are appropriate for your planting space . Plan cautiously so the azalea wo n’t extend into a walkway , crowd out other plant , or comprehend a window . recall that azalea calculate well when you wield their natural shape ; make your pruning cut at dissimilar lengths into the shrub‘s interior to avoid a crew cut appearance and camouflage the cuts with leaf .
Frequently Asked Questions
Although some peopleuse azalea as hedge plants , these shrubs look best when they are allowed to defend a raw , graceful appearing . Using pruning shears to form a boxlike hedge results in twiggy outgrowth at the ends of outgrowth , far few flowers , few interior leaves due to shading , and a less healthy plant .
you may cut azalea in the summertime — up until abouttwo month before the first frost — without damaging the industrial plant . However , since they start produce next year ’s flower buds soon after they flower , you will have fewer flower the next spring .
azalea grow at unlike charge per unit . Many azalea are slowly - growing and may need pruning only once every four or five twelvemonth . Others may require an one-year maintenance clipping . If the size of it of the potpourri you planted is worthy for the space , you may rarely need to cut other than to remove damage or diseased branches .
