Anyone driving through Tyler this Spring could not fail to be impressed by the beauty of the azaleas in bloom.
Azaleas are very versatile, with mature plants ranging in size from one to 10 feet tall. Azaleas may be grown as pot plants, in mass plantings, as hedges, as specimens, espaliered, and in tree form.
To establish azaleas of your own, it is advisable to bare-root rootbound azaleas and plant them in a bed of prepared soil with lots of organic matter. To bare-root a rootbound, container-grown azalea, take a hose with a nozzle and wash the soil from the roots or take a knife and cut 1/2 inch down three sides of the rootball and loosen the roots.
Dig a hole in the prepared bed to accommodate the plant's newly bare roots. Set the plants on a cone of soil in the middle of the hole, and spread the roots out. Cover the roots with soil and water the plant well. Mulch the bed with about four inches of pine needles or other coarse plant fiber.
As they are getting established, azaleas should be moist at all times but never waterlogged. That's true even in the winter plants dry out even in cold weather, so be sure to keep them sufficiently damp.
Fertilize azaleas once in the spring, just after blooming, with an organic-based, acid type fertilizer, such as an azalea-camellia mix. Read directions carefully to find out how much food is needed for the size of your plants.
Pat Skarda, Smith County Master Gardener
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