Indian and Japanese azalea are perhaps the most beautiful ornamental crops that amaze flower growers with their delicate buds. The first is grown indoors, and the second may well take root in the garden. Azalea easily tolerates cold, a houseplant prefers temperatures up to 12 ° C in winter, and a garden plant also survives 27-degree frosts. Flower growers are more popular with flowers growing at home, but varieties that prefer to live on the street, until recently, were in the shade. Today, more and more often you can see an oriental beauty in the gardens.
Choosing a place to plant a garden azalea
Japanese miracle is very beautiful, but very capricious. Azalea requires compliance with all conditions acceptable for growth: temperature, lighting, soil composition. Since the flower is shade-loving, it does not tolerate direct sunlight. With excessive lighting, buds may fall off, leaves wrinkle, and the plant itself as a whole will weaken and be prone to disease. Japanese Azalea belongs to the evergreen varieties, it feels good in the shade and partial shade. But deciduousplants are comfortable in a lighted place, which, however, should still be at least partially protected by trees.
Soil preparation
The quality of the soil plays a big role for the azalea. Since the plant has a shallow root system, about half a meter of soil should be replaced with a suitable substrate. You can buy a soil mixture, or you can prepare it yourself by mixing acidic soil with sand, coniferous soil and peat. Planting seedlings is best done in spring, but container plants can be planted throughout the summer.
Japanese Azalea requires careful soil preparation. First you need to dig a hole half a meter deep and about 70 cm wide. Drainage from broken bricks and coarse sand (20 cm thick) is placed on the bottom. Since crushed limestone alkalizes the ground, it is not recommended to put it in a hole, azalea loves acidic soil. After planting, the plant should be well watered, and the ground around it should be mulched with moss, fallen needles, peat, and crushed bark. Mulch will keep weeds out, keep soil moist longer, and keep roots warm in winter.
Plant propagation
Japanese garden azalea is propagated by cuttings and seeds. The latter method is not particularly popular because it requires a lot of time, certain conditions. Planting an azalea from a cutting is much easier and faster. They take root well in early spring. Already at the end of March or the beginning of April, petioles about 10 cm long, undeveloped andthe lower leaves and apical bud are removed. In the end, 3 he althy leaves should remain.
The lower cut of the cutting must be made at an angle of 45 °, and for the fastest root formation, sprinkle it with a stimulant. Then you should prepare ordinary plastic cups or other containers with a drain hole. The cuttings are planted in high-moor peat, sprayed and covered with a film so that it does not touch their tops. The air temperature must be maintained within 18-22 ° C. A week after planting, the cuttings must be constantly ventilated, the substrate must be constantly wet. After 1.5 months, the surviving plants will take root and they can be transplanted to a permanent place in the garden.
Pruning the bush
A very capricious plant that requires constant attention is the Japanese azalea. Planting and care, which includes top dressing, pruning, watering, warming for the winter, will allow you to grow a beautiful, luxurious bush, covered with bright flowers. The removal of excess and withered shoots should be started about half a month after the end of flowering. The plant is recommended to thin out, do not be afraid to cut the branches. After such an operation, the next year the bush will be even more magnificent and will please with abundant flowering. Trimming is done along the periphery, the places of cuts are smeared with drying oil, paint or garden pitch. As they wither, flowers should be plucked from the bush, thus facilitating the laying of new flower buds.
Irrigation conditions
AzaleaJapanese is a moisture-loving plant; in no case should it be overdried, because it weakens and dies. But you should not get carried away with excessive watering. In large quantities, azalea moisture is needed during the flowering period. But spraying it at this time is not recommended, because the flowers can become covered with ugly spots. Reduce watering in autumn with high humidity.
Azalea top dressing
Almost all plants respond positively to fertilizers, the oriental beauty is no exception. In order for young seedlings to get stronger, to grow, you need to feed them with a solution of mullein in the spring. After the end of flowering, it is necessary to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in a ratio of 1: 2. Long-acting complex top dressing is loved by adult Japanese azalea. Planting and care involves fertilizing in early spring, and then when the plant has faded. You can not add top dressing to the very root, it will be more effective to apply it at a distance of 20 cm from the bush. Fertilizers containing chlorine and lime are not suitable for garden azaleas.
Preparing for winter
Japanese Azalea does not tolerate direct sunlight in both summer and winter. A warm sunny winter day can be bad for the roots of the plant. For this reason, in late autumn, before the start of frost, it is necessary to fill the bush well, and then mulch with oak leaves or cover with coniferous spruce branches. In order for the azalea branches to be under the snow in winter, they need to be bent to the ground.
Most popular varieties
Indianazaleas are heat-loving plants, therefore, in our latitudes, in severe frosts, they cannot survive. These beauties are mainly grown as indoor flowers. Japanese and deciduous species can be planted in gardens; they easily withstand temperatures as low as -27 °C. Japanese azalea "marushka" is very popular with flower growers. These are small half-meter bushes that bloom in May with red flowers. "Marushka" loves partial shade, moist and acidic soil, grows rather slowly.
Similar in many ways to the previous Peticout azalea variety. It also blooms in May, but only with pink flowers. The bush grows up to half a meter, prefers abundant watering, otherwise the leaves may fall off. Another beauty from this group is the Ledikanense azalea, whose flowers are of a delicate purple color. Schneeperle strikes the imagination with incredibly beautiful white inflorescences, this azalea looks like a bride in May. The flowering of the Geisha Orange variety is impossible not to notice, because the bush literally blazes with orange. This azalea responds quickly to drought, so it's important to keep the soil around it moist.
Knap Hill large-flowered hybrid belongs to deciduous varieties. It pleases with flowering for about 60 days, grows up to 1.5 m in height. The bush is completely covered with buds. It is also worth paying attention to the deciduous hybrids of Exbury and Mollis. If you like white flowers, you should buy Persil, red - Koster's Brilliant Red, yellow - Lemonara, pink - Cecile.
The most popular flower growersuses the Kurum Japanese azalea. The photo of these beauties is amazing and causes an irresistible desire to acquire several varieties of this beautiful plant. Kurum flowers are compact and decorative, in their homeland they are grown only in open ground, so they take root well in our country. They are characterized by a small height, abundant flowering, sprawling branches.
For winter-hardy varieties, you should go to the store in early spring. In appearance, these are small bushes (about 25 cm) with flower buds and leaves. Indoor azaleas can be purchased at any time of the year. Mostly undersized seedlings are sold, but already with large leaves and flowering. Therefore, it is important not to make a mistake in choosing and buy the plant that is needed, because if you plant an indoor azalea in the garden, it will die.
