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Re: [SHADEGARDENS] azalea planting

Amber,

As others have told you, the azalea you've got is probably not hardy for
you.  But, you can keep it happy if you have a bright, cool room to winter
it in and you can put it outside in a shady spot in the summer, after all
danger of frost is past - bring it in before the first hard frosts in the
fall; it can take temps down into the high 30'sF.  I've got 3 of them --
had one of them for going on 5 or 6 years now -- and they are blooming now
and will throw occasional blooms off and on during the summer with a small
flush in the fall when things cool down again.

The important things to remember in order to keep them inside in winter
(unless, of course, you have a greenhouse) is that they want cool but not
freezing temperatures - somewhere between 40F and 60F; as much bright light
as possible -- if you don't have a sunny window, you can use fluorescent
lights; and they need fairly high atmospheric humidity so they don't come
down with spider mites.  This you can provide by placing the pot they are
growing in on top of a saucer (about the same diameter as the branches on
the plant) filled with pea gravel and kept topped up with water.  This
creates a humid atmosphere around the plant's foliage as the water
evaporates.

Repot it periodically when it starts to get pot bound in a nice loose mix -
pine bark fines are great, or peat, and coarse sand and feed it with a
fertilizer formulated for acid loving plants according to the fertilizer's
directions.  Azaleas are not heavy feeders in nature, but in a pot, they
need regular feeding to do their best for you.  You can also add leaf mould
to your potting mix if you have any - they like that.  You can also use any
of the peat based packaged mixes either as is or with added pine bark
fines, leaf mould or whatever.

Enjoy your plant!

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: AMBER A. SPAIN, COLLEGE RELATIONS ASSOCIATE
> Date: Wednesday, March 04, 1998 2:36 PM
>
> I recently purchased some blooming azaleas. They were such a breath of
> spring/summer that I couldn't help myself.
>
> Now I'm wondering when I should plant them outside. They are still
blooming.
> Should I wait until spring when all danger of frost has passed (if there
is
> such a thing this year with El Nino)?
>
> Thanks in advance for suggestions.
>
> Amber
> zone 5
> Marcellus, NY
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