Azalea – Biting Plant Bug
Q: Every spring when I am trimming azaleas, I get bit by a little red insect that has a bite fiercer than a fire ant. I only see them for a few weeks in late April or early May. They are...
View ArticleAzalea – Leaf Drop
Q: I have several ‘George L. Taber’ azaleas. In winter, their leaves turn yellow, then slowly to brown, and then they drop off the plant. This is happening to all of the plants. I don’t think they need...
View ArticleNutsedge – Control in Landscape
Q: I think you dodged the really hard questions in your series on fighting lawn weeds. Anybody can put on the pre-emergents to get those pesky, but controllable weeds. I have a more difficult problem:...
View ArticleBlueberry – Yellow Leaves
Q: I have four blueberry bushes that are six years old. This year the leaves on two of the bushes are turning yellow but not falling off. Do they need more water or are they missing a mineral? I don’t...
View ArticleWalnut – Toxic to Apples
Q: I have ordered an English walnut cultivar for my back yard. The only available spot will place it within thirty feet of young crabapple and apple trees. Very recently I learned that English walnut...
View ArticleKimberly Queen Fern
Q: I planted Kimberly Queen ferns in my shaded garden last year and they were beautiful until the ice storm hit. They, of course, died shortly thereafter, but I am noticing that there are green...
View ArticleDaphne – Wilt
Q: My daphne looks like it is wilting. I watered it but it does not look any better. How can I save it? A: You probably can’t save it. Daphne is very susceptible to a disease called Phytophthora, which...
View ArticleNative Azalea – Rejuvenating
Q: In the course of clearing some old heavy undergrowth I discovered several deciduous azaleas. Some have pink, honeysuckle-like blossoms; others have orange blossoms. Because they have been struggling...
View ArticleFragrant Plants
Q: You mentioned daphne in a recent article but can you list other fragrant plants that do well in our climate? A: I don’t think I appreciated the value of landscape fragrance until the last few years...
View ArticleHorse – Toxic Plants
Q: I have the perfect area for a new garden on our property! However, the garden site is accessible on two sides to horses leaning over the fence to check out the new plants. Do you know where I can...
View ArticleAzalea Lacebug – Control
You may have seen the damage lace bugs do to azaleas without knowing who did the dirty deed. Lace bugs suck the juice out of individual leaf cells. Since they hide underneath azalea leaves, you’ll...
View ArticleAzalea – Growing, Pests and Propagating
Few plants are as beautiful and as varied as the azalea. These shrubs are emblematic of spring in Georgia. A recent University of Georgia publication provides all you need to know to have success with...
View ArticleAzalea and Rhododendron – Difference
According to David C. Zlesak at the University of Minnesota: “Rhododendrons and azaleas are spectacular flowering shrubs that add splashes of bright color to the landscape. What are commonly known as...
View ArticleAzalea Pruning and Lace Bugs
Azalea blooms are only a memory in June but there are still things to do for their care. If the shrubs are threatening to grow too tall, now is the perfect time to remove some of the taller branches....
View ArticleAzalea – Planting Properly
In high dudgeon, Dave Hudak wrote me recently: “Last year I planted twenty one azaleas. They were inexpensive one gallon plants. Eight died within seven months. I’ve noticed that the others are...
View ArticleAzaleas – Summer Pruning
If your azalea has been growing in a spot for a few years, it has likely reached the size you want. But the size an azalea would like to achieve might not agree with the size you’d like. If your azalea...
View ArticleAzalea – Sport of Different Color
Q: Do azaleas change color from when they are young to when they mature? I think some of mine have done this. Lou J. A: Azaleas do occasionally sprout a “sport”: a branch having different flower color...
View ArticleAzalea – Pruning Large Ones
Q: I have a couple of azaleas that have become monsters! I did not cut them back for years and they now dominate my front landscape. In recent years, I have taken out large, too me, alternating...
View ArticleHolly – Swallowing Azalea
Q: I have some holly shrubs in front of my townhouse that are swallowing a blooming bush. My question is: should I cut back the holly bushes to stumps? Will they bud in the spring? A: I attended a...
View ArticleIce on Azaleas at Masters Golf Tournament – Not True
Michael D. gives an intriguing bit of information: “I was listening to the radio this past weekend, and heard the discussion about early blooming at the Augusta National. Icing azaleas is a rumor that...
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