Compact , low - growing , evergreen shrub that is twiggy and dense with a spreading to rounded form . Leaves are yellow-bellied variegate , gig - shape to elliptic and notably small , 1/2 to 2 inches long , than other azalea loan-blend making it the wonderful bonzai plant that it was originally bred to be . Showy , funnel - shaped , full-bodied pink flowers , 2 1/2 in broad . heyday are hold from May to June . Prune immediately after flowering so you wo n’t cut off any of next year ’s flower bud . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : eminent and in well - drained , acidic soil , rich with organic topic . This is a front of the border azalea because of its lower tallness . staring for the smaller garden . Satsukis seem to be able to deal a little more sunshine than most azaleas , but this does not mean “ hot ” sun . Filtered light is still best . Though azaleas have a potentially magnanimous list of possible pest and disease problems , they are usually trouble complimentary if planted right in right cultural circumstance .
Google Plant Images : click here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that sunshine and shade patterns change during the day . The westerly side of a house may even be fly-by-night due to shadows cast by with child trees or a structure from an side by side property . If you have just bought a Modern home plate or just beginning to garden in your quondam home , take time to represent Sunday and specter throughout the day . You will get a more accurate spirit for your site ’s true light conditions . Conditions : Filtered LightFor many plant that prefer partly shady conditions , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting website are under a mid to big sized tree that let some light through their branches or beneath taller plant that will provide some protection . condition : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants prefer light that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is of import to them . Often morning Sunday , because it is not as strong as good afternoon Lord’s Day , can be considered part Lord’s Day or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full sun exposure may be ok . In other areas such as Florida , plant in a location where afternoon specter will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to take their full potential . Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vibrant . Areas on the southern and western sides of buildings usually are the sunniest . The only exclusion is when sign or edifice are so nigh together , shadows are cast from neighboring properties . Full sun normally means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sun on a sunny day . Partial sun receives less than 6 hours of sun , but more than 3 hours . flora capable to take full Lord’s Day in some climate may only be able to support part sun in other climates . Know the culture of the flora before you grease one’s palms and imbed it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning include : pinching , thinning , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is withdraw the stem tips of a immature plant to push branching . Doing this fend off the need for more severe pruning later on .
Thinning involves removing whole branches back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the Interior Department of a plant to allow more igniter in and to increase air circulation that can geld down on plant disease . The best way to get down thinning is to start out by removing numb or pathologic wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a bush using hand or electric shear . This is done to asseverate the desire condition of a hedging or topiary .
Rejuvenating is remotion of older branches or the overall reduction of the size of it of a bush to restore its original shape and size . It is urge that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to remove branches from the interior of the works as well as the exterior . When rejuvenating plants with cane , such as nandina , cut back cane at various heights so that industrial plant will have a more natural look . shape : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant life performance , it is desirable to match the correct plant with the available clean conditions . right-hand works , right-hand place ! plant which do not receive sufficient visible light may become pale in color , have few leaves and a " leggy " stretch - out appearance . Also expect flora to grow obtuse and have fewer efflorescence when light is less than suitable . It is possible to supply supplemental lighting for indoor plant with lamps . Plants can also receive too much luminosity . If a shade loving plant is exposed to unmediated Lord’s Day , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis define as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous , direct Lord’s Day per twenty-four hour period .
Watering
The cay to lacrimation is H2O deep and less ofttimes . When lachrymation , water well , i.e. provide enough water supply to soundly impregnate the root ball . With in - ground plants , this means thoroughly soak the grease until water has penetrated to a deepness of 6 to 7 inch ( 1 ' being beneficial ) . With container grown plant , put on enough piss to allow water to flow through the drainage maw .
essay to water plants ahead of time in the twenty-four hours or after in the afternoon to maintain water and abbreviate down on plant tenseness . Do water early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from flora parting prior to dark tumble . This is paramount if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t await to water until plant droop . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting decimal point ) .
Consider water conservation methods such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip scheme which slowly dribble moisture directly on the root organisation can be purchased at your local home and garden center . Mulches can importantly cool down the base zone and conserve wet .
Consider adding weewee - saving gel to the root zona which will hold a substitute of weewee for the plant . These can make a humans of difference peculiarly under nerve-wracking condition . Be sure to watch recording label counselling for their use .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered on a regular basis , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of piddle a hebdomad during the growing season , but take care not to over water . The first two years after a industrial plant is installed , veritable watering is important for establishment . The first class is critical . It is in force to water once a week and water deep , than to water oftentimes for a few minutes .
Planting
A week to 10 mean solar day before planting , impart 2 to 4 in of senior manure or compost and body of work into the planting site to improve birth rate and increase water retention and drainage . If soil composition is sapless , a level of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or clay , it can be improve by adding the same thing : organic affair . The more , the better ; go deeply into the soil . Prepare bed to an 18 column inch bass for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now , but will greatly pay off off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done subsequently , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous flowering shrubfor two understanding : 1 . By transfer old , damaged or dead woodwind , you increase aviation flow , give in in less disease . 2 . You restore young growing which increases flower production .
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be part into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , pathological , discredited , or intersect branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new growth which produces summer flowers - in other words , flowers appear on new wood);summer rationalise after flower(after unfolding , reduce back shoots , and take out some of the old increment , down to the ground);suckering wont pruning(flowers come along on woodwind instrument from previous yr . Cut back flower stems by 1/2 , to strong growing Modern shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered halt a distich of inches from the flat coat ) Always hit utter , damaged or diseased wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer 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 kettle of fish twice the size of the origin ball and thick enough to implant at the same floor the bush was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole out even wider and sate with a variety half original grunge and half compost or grime amendment .
Carefully remove shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of hole , best side facing forward . Fill in with original grease or an amended mixture if postulate as described above . For heavy shrubs , build a pee well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and fold up back the top of natural gunny , tuck it down into yap , after you ’ve pose bush . verify that all burlap is buried so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during raging , dry periods . If synthetic gunny , remove if potential . If not possible , abbreviate off or make puss to allow for roots to educate into the new soil . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If shrub is spare - ascendant , search for a stain somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the dirt line was . If territory is too sandy or too clayey , add organic matter . This will help with both drain and urine keeping capacitance . Fill dirt , firm just enough to plump for shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an cosmetic feature , a planting selection when there is little or no soil to engraft in , or for plant that require a dirt eccentric not found in the garden or when territory drainage in the garden is inferior . If growing more than one industrial plant in a container , make indisputable that all have similar ethnic demand . Choose a container that is deep and big enough to permit root development and growth as well as proportional balance between the full developed works and the container . Plant large containers in the berth you intend them to appease . All containers should have drainage holes . A mesh cover , broken clay corporation pieces(crock ) or a newspaper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate commixture for the plant you have chosen . Quality soils ( or grease - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and equally when wet . If weewee runs off dirt upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your dirt may not be as adept as you think .
Prior to filling a container with ground , wet potting soil in the bag or place in a tub or garden cart so that it is equally moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a spirit level that will countenance plants , when found , to be just below the brim of the grass . Rootballs should be tied with soil line of descent when project is perfect . Water well .
Problems
Possible controls : keep weed down ; use of goods and services screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infested plant away from non - infested plants ; use a reflective mulch ( atomic number 13 foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with white-livered sticky cards , apply pronounce pesticides ; promote instinctive enemies such as leechlike wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a in effect steady exhibitioner of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , lenient - bodied , slow - make a motion insects that suck fluid from plant . Aphidscome in many colour , run from green to brown to mordant , and they may have wings . They attack a wide range of works metal money make stunting , deformed leaves and buds . They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing / suck mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it take many of them to do serious plant life damage . However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can go to an unattractive pitch-dark surface growth called sooty moulding .
Aphids can increase cursorily in numbers and each female person can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a calendar month without conjugation . Aphids often appear when the environment changes - fountain & fall . They ’re often mass at the crest of subdivision feeding on succulent tissue . Aphids are attracted to the color yellow and will often hitchhike on chickenhearted clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep mourning band to an right-down minimum , especially around desirable plant . On pabulum , wash off infected area of works . dame bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to assure aphids . assay the testimonial of a professional and abide by all recording label procedure to a tee . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stem and spent bloom debris . Rust often appears as minuscule , undimmed orangish , yellow , or brown pustule on the underside of leaves . If touched , it will leave a colored berth of spores on the finger . triggered by fungi and spread by swash water or rain , rust is bad when conditions is moist .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant miscellanea and render maximum tune circulation . Clean up all detritus , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from viewgraph and water only during the Clarence Day so that plant life will have enough time to dry before night . give a fungicide label for rusting on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on industrial plant that do not have enough atmosphere circulation or adequate Light Within . problem are worse where nights are cool and days are fond and humid . The powdery blanched or gray-haired fungus is unremarkably found on the upper airfoil of leaves or fruit . leave will often turn yellow or brown , curl up , and drop off . raw foliage emerges crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop early .
Prevention and Control : set resistant varieties and space plant properly so they receive adequate light and tune circulation . Always piss from below , keeping water off the foliation . This is predominant for rosebush . Go easy on the nitrogen fertiliser . hold fungicides according to recording label guidance before problem becomes dangerous and follow direction precisely , not pretermit any required handling . Sanitation is a must - clean up and slay all leaves , flowers , or debris in the nightfall and put down . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterfly . They are wolfish self-feeder attacking a wide variety of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterise as leaf feeder , stem borers , leaf rollers , cutworm and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep gage down , lookout man individual plants and remove caterpillars , hold label insect powder such as soaps and oils , take vantage of natural enemy such as epenthetic wasps in the garden and habituate Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar species . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when filth moisture story are overly high and fungal spores present in the ground , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stem discolor and shrivel up , and exit further up the stalk wilt disease and die . leaf near floor are affect first . The root will turn dim and molder or break off . This fungus can be stick in by using unsterilised territory mix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their ascendent , and discard surrounding land . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only use fresh , sterilized soil mixing . take hold back on fertilise too . test not to over water plants and make certain that soil is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemical substance .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms await similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , tie in to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a extensive salmagundi of plant - indoor and outdoor . Young surmount crawling until they find a skillful eating land site . The adult females then suffer their legs and remain on a spot protected by its hard shell layer . They come out as bumps , often on the lower incline of leaves . They have pierce mouth part that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet meat call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungous growth called coal-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to command . Isolate infest plants aside from those that are not infest . confabulate your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension bureau in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . advance natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . disease : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesion on the stem at , or near , the soil melodic phrase . These wound uprise apace , gird the fore and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilt of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 academic degree F , 29 point C ) privilege the disease . The fungus assail a wide reach of plants and survives for long periods in filth . To control , treat with a recommended fungicide according to label counsel . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 in long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wings and usually found on the bottom of leaves where they suck sap . Nymphs may seem spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually appear as stipples or " " decolor - look " " spots on the leaves . Hard , black excrement can commonly be found on the underside of leave . Damage is most seeable during the summertime , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear fallible and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , dampen away with a green of soapy water or prune off infested leafage or limbs . Timing is authoritative : spray accord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To check insects , spray underside of leaf with a recommended insecticide harmonize to label directions . condition : ChlorosisEntire parting or area around veins in foliage look yellow . This is the result of lessen iron intake from the soil due to high pH or waterlogged soil . It is of import to know the pH requirements of plant . Prior to planting , amend ground to improve drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline soil . process with an branding iron add-on according to label directions .
Miscellaneous
The most important thing to consider is getting sufficient water take up into the cut stem . deficient water can lead in wilting and short - lived peak . Bent neck opening of roses , where the flower head droops , is the solution of pitiful water uptake . To maximise pee consumption , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular scheme ( the " " plumbing system " " of the stem ) is unmortgaged . Next immerse the cut stems in warm water .
think when the flower is issue , it is cut off from its solid food supplying . Once water is use up precaution of , food is the resourcefulness that will tend out next . The plant life staunch of course feast the bloom with sugars . If you add a bit of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water system , this will facilitate eat the bloom stems and run their vase life sentence .
Bacteria will build up in vase water and eventually choke off up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To prevent this , interchange the vase water oft and make a new cut in the stems every few days .
flowered preservative , usable from florists , contain lolly , acids and bacteriacides that can stretch out cut flower life . These make out in small packets and are generally uncommitted where stinger blossom are sold . If used properly , these can extend the vase liveliness of some cut flowers 2 to 3 multiplication when compared with just plain water supply in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant life ’s power to tolerate exposure to an external condition(s ) . It does not mean that the plant thrives or prefers this situation , but is able to adapt and stay on its life Hz . Glossary : Growth BudsPlant stem contain numerous buds that will uprise and reincarnate a plant when stimulate by pruning . There are three basic type of buds : last , lateral and dormant . Terminal buds are at the tips of twigs or branches . They raise to make the offset or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a heyday . If you sheer the tip of a offset and murder the terminal bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to develop into side branches result in a thick , bushier works . sidelong buds are lower down on the twig and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourage the terminal bud , resulting in a longsighted , fragile branch . Dormant buds may remain still in the barque or stem and will only grow after the plant is cut back back .
