Vegetable Gardening Azalea & Rhododendron

Asparagus and Azaleas...in August????

5 years ago

I planted a bed of asparagus roots this past spring, and just let everything that came up fern out, per the usual instructions. Then mid-summer I got some new growth, and ferns out the wazoo, boding well for a great crop next year, I'm thinking. Then I looked closer, and I'm getting some good finger-thick, tasty spears of asparagus poking up on a regular basis. I'm now picking and consuming them. But thinking WTH? I thought asparagus season was in April, period. What gives?

Then I'm weeding my front bed, where I planted some azaleas this spring, and I'll be darned if they don't have blossoms on them. Same WTH...are these plants confused?

No complaints, as I love color and I love asparagus, but why are they producing out of season?

Featured Answer

Josie23: Zone 5: WI

5 years ago

If you just planted the asparagus a few months ago I would NOT be harvesting any no matter how good they look. When I planted my beds I didn't harvest anything the first 2 years, and then only for 3 weeks the 3rd year. I just went through and weeded mine (again) and they too have some stalks coming up, but I would never harvest this late. The roots need the extra energy for the winter and next spring's crop. Harvesting just encourages them to produce more spears and you don't want to do that right now.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

party_music50
5 years ago
Are you having unusual weather for your area? several years ago we had unusual weather here and my bleeding heart (Dicentra) bloomed in spring, then went dormant as it should. Later that summer it started growing again and to my amazement it rebloomed! It’s the only time it ever happened.
weedyacres thanked party_music50
luis_pr
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Weather -usually cooling temperatures- can cause plants to produce early blooms. I have some hydrangeas that bloom once in spring but every 5-10 years, I will get some late blooms in September-October. Mind you, not a lot like in Spring. Just a few. But those blooms were at the expense of Spring blooms so I was both happy and not. My typically reblooming azaleas (Encore Amethyst, etc.) normally will have an encore in September. Then I have also seen my gardenia rebloom in July-August when temperatures went down enough to trigger bloomage. Enjoy the show!
weedyacres thanked luis_pr
Related Professionals
Belleville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saint Joseph Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Athens Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Oshkosh Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Tacoma Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Lafayette Landscape Contractors · Worcester Landscape Contractors · Mansfield Accessory Dwelling Units · Saint George Accessory Dwelling Units · Plattsburgh Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Atlantic City Landscape Contractors · Middletown Landscape Contractors · Jamestown Home Additions · Milwaukee Home Additions · Denver Home Additions
weedyacres
Original Author
5 years ago
We've had wetter than normal July and August, and we have had spurts of cooler (highs in the low 80s, night lows down to mid-60s) weather mixed with the 80s-90s typical in zone 6 here. Not anything near fall cool, though.

Maybe the azaleas I bought are reblooming ones. I didn't know they existed.
luis_pr
5 years ago
Yes, there are several reblooming series being sold. Encore is one of the most popular. Bloom A Thon and ReBloom are others.

https://encoreazalea.com/
weedyacres thanked luis_pr
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
I have to agree with the above. DON'T harvest any more spears!! And for the next two years as well. It will certainly set the plants back, will weaken them and can even kill them. It is not until their third spring in the ground that you should start to harvest and then only the first few weeks of the season. And never harvest after the first of July.

btw, if you leave the spears that appear now alone - as you should - they too will develop into ferny growth.
weedyacres thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
weedyacres
Original Author
5 years ago
Sigh....ok, I'll leave the spears alone. Two more years of no-pick, though? I'm not sure I have that much self control, LOL.

I had asparagus once before, and after the main "picking season" the spears that came up were all thin and spindly. I figured that was the sign that they were "done" for the year, and let them fern. These are full-size spears coming up.