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When talking about pretty flowering plants, you can’t miss Azalea Japonica. Whether you are a novice or an expert gardener, you can’t ignore this beautiful flowering shrub for your garden. You can grow the shrubs effortlessly to make your landscape look wonderful. Therefore these hardy short shrubs produce adorable flowers in bright colours like purple, red, white, and pink. Apart from looking pretty, these shrubs solve the culinary purpose, or you can use these plants to grow familiar with gardening.
Hence you can imagine how colourful your garden will look once a Japonica starts to bloom in its season and how this will enhance the look of your landscape. In this comprehensive guide, you will figure out how to grow Azalea Japonica in your garden and what you can do to care for them.
What is the Azalea Japonica Plant?
Azalea Japonica, also known as Japanese Azalea, is an evergreen, slow-growing, colourful plant that grows in a particular soil. Therefore, the kind of soil these shrubs like is acidic peaty soil which you can find a lot in Kent high weald or Sussex. Hence if you have that kind of soil in your backyard, go for these lovely flowering shrubs in your garden.
Moreover, you might have already figured out that they are natives of Japan, and the specific name Japonica hints at the same. The Azalea Japonica plants come in many colour varieties, such as dark red, pink, or white, which you can mix and combine according to your aesthetic choices. The shrubs produce flowers in spring. Hence, if you want to shape them, do it in summer. However, if you don’t need flowers, you shall shape them before summer or flowering.
How to Grow Azalea Japonica Shrubs in Your Garden
When it comes to growing Azalea Japonica, you don’t need any specific experience or training in gardening because this shrub is moderately low-maintenance. If you already don’t know, this shrub is an Ericaceous plant. Hence, they would love the acidic soil in your garden. However, the mud shall have a quality drainage system so that the plant can avoid over-watering or else its roots will rot. Here are a few points that you need to take care of before you plant them:
- Before you plant Azalea Japonica, you must find a location where the shrubs can receive full sun even though they can tolerate shade.
- Azalea japonica is your great companion as it attracts pollinators with its fragrant and sweet-smelling flowers for your garden.
- You shall not plant the shrub’s root ball too deeply in the soil, and you have to dig them at the ground level.
- Azalea Japonica has shallow roots, so it’s beneficial for you to mulch the ground for a proper growth process. Therefore, this not only helps your plant to avoid excess water, but it also can prevent unwanted weed growth around your plant.
When to Grow Azalea Japonica in Your Garden
One of the most common questions a gardener asks is when you grow Azalea Japonica in your landscape. Hence, the answer is, Japonicas are planted during the fall as the soil is still cosy, and the plants are dormant, creating the best time for these shrubs to thrive. You can also plan them in late spring as it provides the shrub to establish the root system before the cold arrives. Avoid cultivating these plants altogether when the soil is waterlogged or frozen because it will severely destroy the roots and may kill your plant. Some of the points that you shall keep in mind before planting your Azaleas are:
- Choose a container or pot with holes in it for a better drainage system before you move it to a bigger space.
- The pot or container you choose for your plant shall be at least 6 inches or taller and broader than the root ball.
- Azalea Japonica has a shallow root which demands the root ball to stay at the soil surface to avoid rotting due to overwatering.
- In the next step, you shall put a layer of 4-5 cm above the pot to mulch the shrub and protect it from growing weeds around it.
- Remember to put the mulch 2-3 cm away to avoid the soil getting too moist.
How to Care for Azalea Japonica
Azalea Japonica is a plant with varieties that is much easier for a gardener to care for, as it is a low-maintenance shrub than another flowering shrub. Once the shrubs are established, these hardy shrubs can be on their own with more or less care. You can grow less-hardy types indoors in a container or a pot. as they will require more supervision than the others. Here is a list of things that you can do to take care of your Azalea Japonica:
1. Watering
Once you establish the Japanese Azalea in your garden, it will become comparatively drought tolerant. However, it is essential to control the water during the period of its establishment. Hence, ensure that the soil in the container or pot does not dry out. Keep an eye on it to prevent the shrub from drying out in dry climates. When Azalea Japonica faces drought, it finds a problem in growing flowers as the shallow roots of the shrubs need constant moisture to grow well. Although an established Japonica may tolerate some of the dry weather, it would require some time from drought to recover. Hence, remember to water your pot plants more than the ground ones to avoid drying out.
2. Mulching
Mulching is a brilliant idea to protect the shallow roots of Azalea Japonica while reducing the chances of moisture loss. Therefore, it is vital to create a thick layer of annual mulch around the plant 2-3 cm away from the stem. Moreover, mulching will provide the plant with all the necessary composting that it needs to grow. Hence, you don’t have to add any other fertiliser than mulching, or else it can hinder the growth and productivity of the Azaleas.
3. Pruning
Pruning is one of the necessary steps that you can’t miss while caring for these flowering shrubs. Although Azaleas Japonica is a low-maintenance plant and requires less care to survive, pruning can be as essential as watering or taking any other necessary step. These flowering shrubs only need a little pruning and shaping before it starts to flower. Moreover, you can also shape them in summer after they flower, in case you want to grow flowers. Azalea is mostly treated and trained as a bonsai tree. Hence, you can trim them into ornamental decorative forms to elevate the look of your garden.
Common Issues You Can Face While Growing Azaleas
Even though Azalea Japonica is a low-maintenance, hardy plant, still some issues may arise that many gardeners can commonly face. For example, spider mites and aphids love these fragrant flowering shrubs and can settle down on the plant. Hence, if you see any discolouration or webbing, check below the leaf to confirm the pest attack. Therefore, if there are a few pests, you can hand-pick them or else use neem oil or pesticide to get rid of the mites. Keep track of watering your shrubs to avoid overwatering, or it can cause root rot. Some signs of rotting include smelly soil, brown and reddish trunks and roots, legginess, and falling off or yellowing of leaves.
Some Varieties of Japonica to Grow in Your Garden
Azalea Japonica is a great way to add a splash to your garden and make it look vivid. These flowering shrubs can add the bright splash that you need in your garden with their fragrant and sweet-smelling flowers that attract many pollinators and create a scenic experience for your garden. Here are a few low maintenance Azaleas to grow in your landscape:
1. Obtusum
This Azalea Japonica is a member of the Optusum group and features as a dwarf, evergreen plant with habits of mounding. The flowering shrubs produce flowers that range from white to pale pink with deeper pink at the blush end of the petal. Therefore, you can grow this plant in your garden for its bonsai nature.
2. Electric Lights Double Pink
The name alone can specify the characteristics of this Azalea Japonica plant. The Electric light double pink is a shrub with delightful, gorgeous, fluffy double flowers whose petals look like a blushing bride that can attract any passerby with its beauty. Moreover, the flowering plant holds a spicy fragrance that catches the attention of pollinators. Hence, you can grow this shrub in your garden for a scenic beauty landscape.
3. Fireball
The name fireball delivers an explosion of fiery red blooms in the season of late spring. The flowers glow in the shades of flame orange and red, which is ideal for shady areas because of its brightening nature. You can expect the shrub to grow up to 4-6 feet tall as it matures while spreading up to 4-5 feet in width. Hence, if you are a gardener wanting to add a bright gist to your landscape, consider adding these to your garden.
Conclusion
Azalea Japonica is one of the most low-maintenance flowering shrubs that are easy to grow and beautiful to look at. Therefore, as a gardener, you may want to bring these attractive splashes of bright hue to your landscape. However, sometimes these plants may look like they are complex to grow and care for, but in reality, they are effortless to grow.
In this comprehensive guide, you were able to explore some varieties that you might want to add to your landscape to elevate its beauty. Moreover, in this content, you were about to figure out the details regarding how to grow Azalea Japonica in your garden and what to do to care for them to grow them in your language.
