Azalea and Camellia Care

AZALEAS - In general, Azaleas fare best in filtered sunlight. If you desire an Azalea that can tolerate full sun, try 'Formosa' (Magenta), 'Redbird' and 'Pride of Dorking' (red), 'Alaska' and 'G.G. Gerbing' (white), 'George Taber' (pink).

Planting and Feeding - When planting, make sure to add half peat moss to your native soil in order to satisfy the plant's love of acidic conditions. Also, work in a slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote into the soil. Feed every two months during the growing season with an acid-type fertilizer such as Miracid. Cease fertilization in late summer.

Watering - These plants thrive in rich, moist soil conditions. They will benefit from regular watering as long as drainage is adequate. An occasional flooding of the soil surrounding these plants will assist in leaching the soil of excess salts that cause foliage burn.

Pruning - Lightly trim tips of branches until June, when next year's flower buds start flowering.

CAMELLIAS

Camellias - have long been favored by Southern California gardeners for good reason. It is one of the best shrubs for shady gardens because of its long bloom period and spectacular show of color.

Planting - Camellias require a richly amended soil when native soil is lean or sandy. Add organic matter when planting; use half native soil and half amendment. This could be azalea mix, peat with humus or compost added, or any high quality mix. Dig a hole twice as wide as the container and backfill with this mixture. Be sure the crown of the plant is about one inch above the existing soil line.

Watering - Camellias thrive in rich, moist soil conditions. Although Camellias can tolerate less watering once established. Plants will benefit from regular watering as long as drainage is good. An occasional flooding of the soil around these plants will assist in leaching the soil of excess salts that cause foliage to burn, an unsightly browning of the leaves. During the bloom season, overhead watering can damage flowers and cause them to rot and fall off. It is better to irrigate from beneath plants during this time.

Feeding - Feed Camellias every two months with an acid-based fertilizer such as Miracid. Feed immediately following the bloom cycle, until late summer. It is important that you do not feed your camellias while they are in full bloom, as this may cause unopened flower buds to terminate.

Pruning - To promote bushiness cut most recent growth back to the annual growth scar just following the blooming season. This will cause branching beneath the cut. To promote upright growth, horizontal branches should be cut.