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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland gardeners help make Spring Garden Fair an iconic event Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' Ashland Firewise hosts free yard debris dropoff Saturday Police Reports 10 things to know for Wednesday Education Students at Walker Elementary School in Ashland get hands dirty for Earth Day From AHS to paradise: Ashland High alum Wolf runs successful snorkel tours in Maui Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Environment Students at Walker Elementary School in Ashland get hands dirty for Earth Day Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Business Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Ride & Drive: 2015.5 Volvo V60 Cross Country From AHS to paradise: Ashland High alum Wolf runs successful snorkel tours in Maui Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford F-150 Politics and elections Arthur I. 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(Mike) Michael Shareable Sports Latest Stories Brent St. Germain: It’s risky to draft QBs early Ashland drops eight-inning pitchers' duel Playing through the pain SOU's Maguin pockets fourth CCC honor Fantasy Sports: Injury bug still biting Toronto’s Reyes High school Ashland drops eight-inning pitchers' duel SOU swept, but gets help in playoff race Grizz softball team keeps rolling AHS girls edge Roseburg Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Southern Oregon University SOU's Maguin pockets fourth CCC honor SOU swept, but gets help in playoff race For Raiders, a homecoming Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Voices Latest Stories Our View: Raises raise eyebrows Letter at Length, April 22 Granlund cartoon: Minnesota ISIS Our View: Close gun-sale loophole City looking for ways to create a healthy Ashland for all ages Editorial Our View: Raises raise eyebrows Our View: Close gun-sale loophole Our View: Help fill empty bowls in Ashland Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Letters Letter at Length, April 22 Letters to the Editor, April 20 Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Letters to the Editor, April 11 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Columns City looking for ways to create a healthy Ashland for all ages Chris Honoré: Faith-based rejection of vaccines Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Poetry events and calls for submission Community blog: Go to the poetry reading at the library on Sunday Community blog: Poems for parenting A tale of two plays at OSF Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Theater Ticket Availability Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' Do you go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival shows? Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' Movie review: Based-on-fact ‘True Story’ asks, ‘Who’s fooling who?’ Movie review: Lots of monkey business in ‘Monkey Kingdom’ Russell Crowe discusses WWI and being a first-time director 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ashland gardeners help make Spring Garden Fair an iconic event Tammy Kelly: The South’s favorite side dish — slaw David Murdock: Toward a modern mythology Page H. 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Garden Cameos: Spring is time for azaleas in the garden By Betty Montgomery More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Betty Montgomery More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 8:07 am By Betty Montgomery More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 8:07 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> What plant is more associated with spring than azaleas, the South’s favorite shrub? Azaleas, a member of the rhododendron family, come in two general categories — evergreen and deciduous. Most of the azaleas grown in home gardens are evergreen and are native to Asia. Seventeen deciduous azaleas are native to North America. Evergreen azaleas come in a range of colors including red, pink, hot pink, lavender and purple, with some being strong colors and others pale colors, some with stripes and some with narrow petals. Some of these will need to be found in specialty nurseries. If you seek out different cultivars of these lovely plants, you can have blooms over a long period of time. Some varieties start blooming in mid-spring and others bloom at different times until August. Many are quite fragrant and add a lovely scent to any garden. If you are not familiar with these azaleas, I encourage you to add one to your garden. “My Mary,” a pale yellow, is my favorite. Azaleas are not hard to grow as long as you remember a few general rules: - Planting in the right location is important. I tried for years to grow “Delaware Valley” on the south side of the house and it would never live. I switched to “GG Gerbin” and it has performed beautifully. Some will take more sun than others. But generally, most all azaleas prefer some shade in the hottest part of the day and high dappled shade under tall pines is ideal. - Azaleas prefer rich organic soil with excellent drainage. When planting, break up the root ball to encourage the roots to spread out and find more moisture. You need to plant azaleas an inch above ground level. The plant will not perform well in a low spot where it might stay wet. You also need to water each week during the first year to help get the roots established. Two inches of mulch will help to keep the ground soil cooler, will hold in moisture and will keep down the weeds. - Azaleas need acidic soil that is natural in our area. Lime should never be added and if they are planted in heavy clay soil, they will get root rot and eventually die. They like to have moist soil, but not wet feet. You will need to give them some water in the hottest part of summer if we do not get rain. You do not want them to dry out completely. - Fertilize azaleas just after they bloom. If you fertilize before they bloom, you will get more foliage than blooms and if you fertilize them in the fall, it will encourage new growth that might not harden off before frost and this is not good. I fertilize azaleas with a mix of one 40-pound bag of cow manure, one 40-pound bag of cottonseed meal and a quart of Epsom salt. I put a cup on each plant and two cups on very large shrubs. You can buy fertilizer that is specific for azaleas and is an excellent product. Azaleas have shallow roots and can burn easily with commercial fertilizer if you are not careful. - Azaleas can be pruned to keep them looking perfect. One rule that is easy to remember is to lightly prune just after they bloom. For evergreen azaleas if you wait until summer, you will be cutting off the new flower buds that have formed. If you need to do heavy pruning, do this in the winter when the bushes are dormant. Never prune more than one third of the plant at a time or the bushes could suffer. I encourage people to go inside the plant and cut a few larger branches. This will open up the plant to let air and light inside the plant and encourage new growth. - There are new varieties of azaleas on the market today that re-bloom. Encore azaleas were the first re-blooming azaleas to be available in garden centers. There are about 30 varieties from which to choose. Bloom-A-Thon is another re-blooming azalea that has come on the market more recently. Both kinds of re-bloomers bloom in the spring and again in the fall. - Azaleas can be long lived and will add elegance to any garden. Spend some time in specialty garden centers and find some of the more unusual ones to add to your garden. It is worth the extra effort to seek out some of these beautiful plants. Betty Montgomery is a correspondent for The Spartanburg (S.C) Herald-Journal. By Betty Montgomery More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Betty Montgomery More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 8:07 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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