Gardendelightsnursery’s Blog
Just another WordPress.com weblogArchive for May, 2013
Rhododendron and azalea care now.
Most gardeners have at least one rhododendron or azalea in their garden landscape and if you are a new gardener, this is a tip to ensure good blooming for next year. These plants are prodigious seed setters. But that quality for reproduction takes a lot of energy and food reserves from the plant and next year’s blossoming show. What is needed now is to
‘dead head’ the old finished bloom stalks and leave the leaf bud growth immediately underneath that bloomed out blossom cluster. Gently pinch off the finished blooms soon after the flowering has finihsed. Be careful not to damage emerging leaf growth. Just try it and you will become very good at this…. especially if you have large plants! (that means you have MANY dead heads to do). What azalea growers do is this, either get a broom and sweep off those old blossoms on the tops of the plants, or simply shear them off with hedge shears. (they are efficient since they must do hundreds, if not thousands, of plants!) Don’t worry about the bush. Azaleas will be doing a LONG season of growth from now until fall. In Japan, Kurume and Satsuki azaleas are sheared in June/July and then only lightly pinched back on extra vigorous growth, letting the small branches grow since they will end with a flower bud.
Rhododendrons will respond by using the food reserves in the plant to form next years flower bud at the tip of the shoot. Don’t worry if you break off that growth shoot. Growers often do just that, and what results is many more growth shoots since that often single shoot now pruned off, redirects energy into the neighboring buds in the leaf cluster and you get more shoots later.
Important to keep plants well watered and well fed! Remeber you are feeding the plant for NEXT YEAR’s blooms!
Now is also a good time to cut back a leggy or overgrown plant. You can start by ringing the bark just to the wood about 3/4 around the stems and that will help activate growth in long dormant buds. Do this lower down on the main stems of the plant. That way, when you see new buds forming, you will know where to make cuts and those buds will come into growth. You may sacrifice some/ all bloom next year, but your plant will be short and compact after your prune back. (Important note is that there are a few rhodys that do not break from dormant buds and might die, but the majority of the hybrids will be fine with this treatment. If the resulting growth is leggy, remember to pinch the tip buds to help fatten up the shrub!
Some cvs. are naturally loose and open, just use them in an appropriate setting, such as espallier, trellis, up a pole, etc.
These are mostly shade shrubs. There are sun tolerant cvs. Rhododendron as a genus is very large and extremely variable. There are forest giants to 80 ft in cloud/rain forests, and small ground hugging alpines barely 1 ft tall, and everything in between so you have many choices available for your garden setting!
Garden Delights Nursery has moved.
see the home page
2115 Adobe Rd
Petaluma, CA 94954
707 773 1133
Win a prize!/ free talks at the nursery
Garden Delights is having two free talks. June 2, 2013 is on Japanese maple culture. How to grow a great Japanese maple!
June 9, 2013 tips on growing fruit trees. (remember Fathers Day!) You can order your special tree and have it there for Fathers Day lecture!
Two free ‘mystery’ prizes will be given at each talk.
You MUST RSVP to be qualified to win.
Nursery address:
2115 Adobe Rd
Petaluma
707 773 1133 (there is answering machine there to let me know you are coming, just leave your contact info if I am in the field not able to pick up with your PHONE NUMBER!
or email
Thanks, hope you will enjoy finding out about growing and harvesting your fruits from your very own trees, and take care of any maple problems you might have.
Erik
Gardendelightsnursery's Blog 