Re: Azaleas vs Rock Pile??
- To:
- Subject: Re: Azaleas vs Rock Pile??
- From: M* T*
- Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 00:05:48 -0400
You don't have to move one rock...they will help provide really good
drainage. Just plant right on top of them. If they are nicely cemented
together, see if you can loosen them up a bit with a sturdy digging fork,
just so roots can more easily work into them. Azaleas and rhodies actually
like rocks.
By all means, plant in clusters - much more naturalistic than lining them
out in a row....do it all the time. Distance apart rather depends....I
believe you said yours are small? And these are the deciduous ones? If my
mind is not playing tricks and this is right, they will generally grow a
single trunk - more tree-like than evergreen azaleas. Branches will
eventually extend to an irregular diameter of somewhere between 5 and 8
feet, say in 10 years or so. Planted in a group, they should really be on
5' centers, but if that looks simply too far apart for the size they are,
you can plant them more closely and move one or two when they start to get
larger and crowded looking. Azaleas are pretty easy to move until they
get really big, as their rootballs are relatively shallow and compact.
If I am mistaken and yours are evergreen azaleas, it also depends on which
kind. The smaller ones can be planted on 3' centers and will eventually
grow together. Larger varieties need to be a bit farther apart - some can
get to be quite large, say 6' + in diameter by 7-8 feet tall, but that
takes 15 or 20 years.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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> From: WHTROS@aol.com
> Date: Sunday, September 12, 1999 11:18 PM
>
> Thanks for your superb advice on planting azaleas.
> I have removed the weeds from where I want to plant them.
> And Woi-La -- the ground is covered in River Rock! All about 1"
> Its been there 26 years and is mixed with a lot of dirt.
>
> My question is:
> How much of this rock should I remove?
> Or can I plant on top of it all?
> Or only remove the rock where I am going to set each plant?
> Can I plant several in a cluster 3 - 4 ft apart?
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