Inherited azaleas - are they doing okay?

9 years ago

I have a number of small azaleas (I think) growing in various locations in my new yard. I'd love to ID what type they are - as far as I know they all bloom bright pink, but I haven't seen flowers yet this year.

Regardless of type, none of them seem to be thriving, at least to my inexperienced eye. Rhododendrons and azaleas are fairly common in my area, but these just don't seem to be doing much - there is no new leaf growth, and not a ton of buds either. They are at least two years old, probably more, and no more than a foot tall - is that normal? Here are photos of various specimens:

One of the scraggliest ones, tangled with weeds:

Slightly better shape:

Probably the best looking, but too close to a rosebush:

Another sad one:

These are randomly scattered around my property, so I'm planning to relocate at least some of them, but I'm wondering if it's worth the bother since they don't seem to be thriving. Any suggestions on how I can help them and how best to arrange/space them given their eventual size (which I suppose depends on variety)? Thanks!

Featured Answer

whitewatervol (Z 8a/7b Upstate SC)

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

In general, most azaleas need part shade. If they get in dense shade they tend to get spindly looking. In too much sun the leaves burn.

They also prefer moist soil that drains well and is acidic. That seems contradictory but it's not really. An ideal medium for most azaleas is a mix of finely ground pine bark, peat moss, and coarse sand. A ratio of something like 5:1:1. If they are planted in heavy soil, they don't do well.

They also like to be planted somewhat high - too deep in the ground and they suffer.

Yours don't seem to be thriving but at the same time, I don't see dead branches and lots of yellow leaves. If you move them, keep the above in mind.

I had some azaleas in a spot that stayed wet. They looked very sickly. One plant died. I moved the rest to a better location in good soil and they recovered well in about a year.

Also, some azaleas stay short. Gumpo azaleas (and some others) rarely get much over 2 feet tall. Some varieties can get the size of a small bus. They vary a lot.

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Comments (7)

Carolina Girl (Zone 8b)
9 years ago
I'm my non-expertise opinion, Two years old is pretty young for azaleas. Do you know if the flowers are small or large. They look like they could be Coral Bells azalea. They can be spindly looking especially when in shade but still be flat out covered in blooms.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
9 years ago
Well, they could be much older than that - I just know they were present in the Realtor photos which were taken around two years ago. Here are some photos I snapped last summer, in early May when we came out for our inspection:

These are some that will have to be re-sited - they're being eaten by pachysandra:
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biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks whitewater. ID is probably the first step to deciding what to do with these. I do like them, but I'd prefer a variety that looks a little nicer when it's not blooming (unless of course these are just spindly due to poor location). I have plenty of part shade areas, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to control the acidity of my soil.
whitewatervol (Z 8a/7b Upstate SC)
9 years ago
That planting mix is acidic. I fertilize with a fertilizer for acid loving plants as well.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
9 years ago
Right, but from what I understand, if your native soil is naturally alkaline it can be difficult to keep it acidified. I'm planting blueberries in containers for that reason. Perhaps azaleas aren't quite as picky as blueberries, though?
whitewatervol (Z 8a/7b Upstate SC)
9 years ago
Is your soil naturally alkaline? Have you had it tested?

They have people in parts of Texas with alkaline soil that plant azaleas in raised beds.