Hi.
I know nothing about azaleas.

I currently have 8 azaleas. All of them are in my South west facing front yard under trees. The group of white ones are about 50 ft (if that) from the group of pink ones. All were planted before I moved here and I've lived here about 12 years.

I have 4 white ones which appear healthy and good. They bloom well and are full. One of them was injured by a ball or child falling into it, but after a few years of staking, it is growing back nicely now.

Then i have 4 pink azaleas. These are the problem children. They are much smaller. They've consistently had less foliage and also tend to get dark spots on their leaves. Last year, I tried to trim the dead branches from them. One of them has single branch with two main offshoots. At the end of the offshoots, there are about five tiny branches, each with a bud and a few leaves. But there are no other leaves on this plant. I can't figure out the problem with these bushes. I'm considering taking this one out altogether. I'm not sure if it will sprout more or not. The branches that I trimmed from this one last year were from a separate main stem which was clearly dead looking. No leaves, dry and brittle. I wonder if the shade is too much for them, but even in early spring with leafless trees, they do not do well.

Is there anything I can do to help these plants? Are they worth trying to save? Were they just a lesser quality breed?

Please forgive me as my zone is actually 7 (NC). I should have clarified before posting.

This post was edited by crazymommy on Mon, Apr 7, 14 at 20:56