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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Rural Oregon, sacrifice zone for proposed LNG export projects? ... Coos County ballot measure seeks to nullify gun background checks ... Medford police chief announces retirement ... Guest Opinion: Rural Oregon, sacrifice zone for proposed LNG export projects? ... Coos County ballot measure seeks to nullify gun background checks ... Medford police chief announces retirement ... Garden Cameos: Spring is time for azaleas in the garden Comment By Betty Montgomery More Content Now MailTribune.com By Betty Montgomery More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 at 8:08 AM By Betty Montgomery More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 at 8:08 AM » Social News 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 MailTribune.com By Betty Montgomery More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 at 8:08 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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