Tips for salvaging one of the south’s most prized flowers: Azaleas

With warmer temperatures and spring approaching, the need for gardening tips around soon to be blooming plants and flowers is in high demand.

One of those flowers are Azaleas, a flower that has deep roots in the South, according to Blake Williamson of Diversified Services Lawn & Garden Center.

“Azaleas scream southern and Easter in the same breath,” Williamson said with a laugh. “There are probably more Easter pictures taken in front of Azaleas than anything else. You get a few weeks of magnificent blooms out of them and that’s about all you get other than the greenery.”

Due to the harsh weather south Arkansas has experienced this year, some Azalea enthusiasts may notice some changes in the plant’s appearance, but Williamson cautioned local residents to be careful before making any drastic changes to their Azaleas.

“Azaleas are susceptible to not surviving really cold climates,” Williamson said. “But I believe what the majority of people will see with their Azaleas is leaf burn, but the actual wood of the plant is still alive. There is a chance that the buds are frozen and may not bloom. So the best thing to do for Azaleas in the south right now is wait.”

Williamson also said residents should think about how deeply rooted their plants are when monitoring the life of their Azaleas this spring.

“The main concern I have is that they are shallow rooted plants and people that didn’t properly mulch them could see the plant’s death because of the freeze,” he said

Leaf burn is identified by the browning of leaves and or a yellowing or darkening of the leaf’s veins.

“There is a good chance that people’s Azaleas are still alive and are going to bloom. Several Azaleas I have seen around town have brown leaves and the general population will believe that they are dead but they’re probably not dead,” Williamson stated. “So again, the best thing to do for them is to wait, see if they bloom and then right after they bloom, prune the Azalea back.”

Waiting until after the Azalea blooms to prune will be beneficial for the plant moving forward, Williamson said.

“Shortly after they bloom, they are going to naturally start setting the buds for the next year. So if you don’t prune them at the right time, your Azaleas will not bloom,” he said.

After waiting to see if one’s Azalea actually bloom this year, Williamson said residents should prune dead parts of the plant.

“Identify the dead wood on your Azaleas and cut them off because dead wood will not produce blooms,” he said. “If you have some limbs or things that are getting out of control, you will want to prune those back.”

He also offered a tip to help people identify potential dead wood on Azaleas.

“You can always take your finger and scratch the woody area or bark of the plant back, and if you’re still seeing yellow to white wood, that means that the plant is still alive. If you scrape it and get down to brown wood that means that the wood is dead,” he said.

“People are going to start seeing new growth shortly, like in the next few weeks. So again, my advice is to just wait and see what your Azaleas are going to do,” Williamson concluded.

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