Azaleas

In just about every yard in the country you'll find azaleas, an enormously popular group of shrubs--usually evergreen but occasionally deciduous--that range in height from a few feet to 30 feet, depending on the species or variety. And the nearly 80 different species and several thousand varieties offer a magnificent mix of spring color--white, pink, red, orange, lavender, purple, salmon and just about everything in between. Azaleas aren't difficult to grow but they are picky about where and how to be planted. They do best in high shade, so unless your property is heavily shaded, plant them on the east or north side of the house. They need fairly constant moisture but good drainage, so amend the planting hole with lots of peat moss--a 50/50 mix of peat moss and soil is ideal--or buy a special planting mix developed just for azaleas.

Two more quick tips: Mulch your azaleas heavily with pine needles, crushed pecan shells, cottonseed hulls or shredded oak leaves, and fertilize only after they bloom in spring, ideally with a slow-release fertilizer such as cottonseed meal.

Also in this Episode

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-113
•	Evergreens
•	Azaleas
•	What's Your Zone?
•	Shear Madness
•	Community Gardens
•	Latin Lesson