A potted azalea is a popular winter-flowering houseplant, whether you give it as a hostess gift at Christmas or to yourself to combat the winter “blahs.” When there is snow on the ground and trees are bare, nothing beats the shocking color of a flowering azalea. If you have one of these popular florist azaleas, usually an Indica hybrid, you should have moved it indoors by now, into a brightly lit area near a window and out of direct sun. (These azaleas will grow outdoors in the ground in the Southern states.)
An Indica azalea needs a good amount of humidity. You can accomplish this indoors by either misting it daily or by setting the pot on a tray of pebbles, which you keep filled with water. The pot must not set in the water, but be suspended above it by the pebbles. This way, the water evaporates and automatically mists the shrub. Once the flower buds appear and start to open, cut out the misting and/or take away the pebble tray.
Grow Indica azaleas cool while they are blooming. Temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit can cause leaf and/or bud drop. Too, the flowers will not last long in a hot room. If you have a window that leaks cold air and does not receive direct sun, this could be the ideal spot for your blooming azalea!
Once the azalea has finished blooming, you can repot it into an acidic potting mix if it has outgrown its container. Add some bark to the mix if it isn’t free draining. Stay away from mixes that contain a lot of peat since peat will hold water. Keep the shrub’s roots just damp through the winter. Feed them once a month throughout the winter with a liquid fertilizer. This is a critical time as azaleas set next year’s flower buds very quickly after they finish blooming. It’s important for next year’s flowers that they receive good care at this time. Immediately after flowering is also the only safe time to do any branch pruning. Later cuts will most likely remove next year’s blossoms.
Come spring, once the threat of frost has left your area, move your potted azalea outdoors into a shady spot. Make sure it is watered and misted if rains and humidity are not present. Bring it back indoors in autumn, before the first frost, to begin the blooming season all over again.
Look for information on Azalea maintenance in this GardenSmart show.
Posted October 19, 2012.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Terra Nova’s breeders have created a series of outstanding world-class echinaceas that are consistent in size, bloom power, color intensity and are a pollinator buffet. What’s not to like.
To learn more, click here for an interesting article.
Click here to sign up for our monthly NEWSLETTER packed with great articles and helpful tips for your home, garden and pets!
A potted azalea is a popular winter-flowering houseplant, whether you give it as a hostess gift at Christmas or to yourself to combat the winter “blahs.” When there is snow on the ground and trees are bare, nothing beats the shocking color of a flowering azalea. If you have one of these popular florist azaleas, usually an Indica hybrid, you should have moved it indoors by now, into a brightly lit area near a window and out of direct sun. (These azaleas will grow outdoors in the ground in the Southern states.)
