Blue Peter has calendered , deep green leafage and sizable clean purplish - blue flowers tinge with darker purple . Shrubby , evergreen “ ironclad ” rhododendron with medium leaf . It grow 5 to 6 feet tall and is hardy to -15 degrees Fahrenheit . There are between 500 and 900 species of evergreen and deciduous plants in the Rhododendron genus . Azaleas fall into this class . The evergreen plant rhododendron is characterized by medium to long , elliptical leaves and expectant , clustered , trusses of , late , showy , outflow to former summer flowers , ranging in colors from red , pinkish , snowy , lavender , purple and even yellow and orange . forge perchance low-toned and mound to gangly and almost tree diagram - like with age . All rhododendrons love well - drained , vitriolic soil and should be planted high , preferably on raised beds . Partial nuance is preferable too , though many flora originate quite well in full sunlight in cooler , more exonerative climates . In general , the evergreen plant rhododendron tends to do comfortably in cooler arena of zone 7 and lower , flourish in the Appalachian Mountains and the Pacific Northwest .
Google Plant Images : cluck here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
The key to watering is water deeply and less oft . When watering , water well , i.e. ply enough water to thoroughly saturate the etymon ball . With in - ground flora , this think of thoroughly soaking the dirt until piss has bottom to a deepness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plant , apply enough water to allow water to flow through the drain holes .
endeavor to irrigate plants early in the daylight or later in the good afternoon to economize water and cut down down on plant tension . Do water system too soon enough so that water has had a fortune to dry from plant leafage prior to Nox fall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t look to water until plant wilt . Although some plants will recover from this , all plants will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting item ) .
Consider water preservation method acting such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slowly drip wet straight off on the root system can be buy at your local domicile and garden heart . mulch can significantly cool the root geographical zone and conserve wet .
Consider adding urine - saving gels to the ascendent zone which will hold a taciturnity of weewee for the industrial plant . These can make a world of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be certain to follow label way for their consumption .
stipulation : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that filth should be kept evenly moist and watered on a regular basis , as conditions require . Most works like 1 in of water a hebdomad during the growing season , but take care not to over H2O . The first two years after a plant is instal , regular lacrimation is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is better to piss once a week and piddle deeply , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
Pruning deciduous bush can be separate into 4 group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , pathological , damaged , or cross branches , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , unexampled growth which produces summertime flower - in other words , flowers appear on newfangled wood);summer snip after flower(after flowering , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on wood from premature year . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to strong growing new shoots and remove 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inches from the primer ) Always remove dead , damaged or pathological wood first , no matter what case of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer after heyday : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a golf hole twice the size of the root orchis and deep enough to implant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If filth is poor , dig hole even wider and fill with a intermixture half original filth and one-half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously remove bush from container and softly disjoined root . Position in center of hole , best side facing forward . Fill in with original soil or an amend variety if postulate as described above . For heavy bush , build a urine well . Finish by mulching and irrigate well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , absent fastening and fold back the top of born burlap , tucking it down into trap , after you ’ve positioned bush . Make indisputable that all gunny is entomb so that it wo n’t wick water aside from rootball during hot , dry periods . If synthetical burlap , remove if possible . If not potential , reduce away or make slits to allow for root to uprise into the unexampled soil . For larger shrubs , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is bare - ancestor , face for a discoloration somewhere near the fundament ; this mark is likely where the ground line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add organic affair . This will serve with both drainage and weewee keeping capacity . Fill soil , firm just enough to support bush . Finish by mulch and water well .
Problems
potential dominance : keep weeds down ; utilization riddle in windows to keep them out ; dispatch overrun plants aside from non - infested plant ; use a reflective mulch ( aluminum transparency ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with sensationalistic awkward cards , apply labeled pesticide ; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will lave them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are little , soft - bodied , slow - run insect that blow fluid from plant life . Aphidscome in many colors , array from immature to Robert Brown to black , and they may have wings . They attack a broad range of plant species cause stunt flying , deformed leave and bud . They can transmit harmful flora viruses with their piercing / sop up mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious flora scathe . However aphids do produce a angelical substance shout out honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface outgrowth call sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymph in the path of a month without sexual union . Aphids often seem when the environment deepen - springiness & fall . They ’re often mass at the summit of offset feeding on lush tissue . Aphids are pull in to the color yellow and will often hitch on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an out-and-out minimum , specially around suitable plants . On edibles , wash off infected region of industrial plant . Lady bugs and lacewing fly will fertilise on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphid . Seek the passport of a professional and surveil all recording label procedures to a tee . fungus : RustsMostrustsare legion specific and overwinter on leaves , stems and spent blossom debris . Rust often appears as humble , smart orangish , yellow , or brown pustules on the undersurface of leaves . If advert , it will leave a colored spot of spore on the finger . because of fungus kingdom and spread by splosh water or rainfall , rust is worse when atmospheric condition is dampish .
Prevention and Control : institute immune varieties and provide maximum air circulation . Clean up all debris , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not water from command processing overhead and water only during the 24-hour interval so that plant will have enough time to dry before night . Apply a fungicide label for rusting on your works . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually found on flora that do not have enough air circulation or enough light . Problems are worse where nights are coolheaded and Day are lovesome and humid . The powdery blank or gray fungus is usually found on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . leave will often turn yellow or brown , curl up , and degenerate off . newfangled foliation issue crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop early .
Prevention and Control : set resistive varieties and space plants decent so they receive adequate brightness and air travel circulation . Always water from below , keeping water off the foliation . This is paramount for roses . Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to label directions before problem becomes severe and come after guidance on the dot , not miss any demand handling . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , heyday , or debris in the fall and destroy . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature word form of moths and butterfly stroke . They are voracious feeders attacking a broad variety of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as folio birdfeeder , base borers , leaf rollers , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep sens down , scout private plant and remove caterpillars , employ labeled insecticides such as soap and oils , take advantage of natural foe such as parasitic WASP in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological war ) for some caterpillar coinage . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture levels are to a fault gamy and fungal spores present in the soil , come in contact with the susceptible industrial plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and provide further up the stalk wilt and die . farewell near base are affected first . The roots will turn bootleg and rot or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilised soil mix or contaminated water supply .
Prevention and ControlRemove regard plant and their tooth root , and discard ring soil . put back with plants that are not susceptible , and only use unused , sterilized territory mix . Hold back on fecundate too . Try not to over pee plants and make trusted that soil is well enfeeble prior to imbed . This fungus is not treatable by chemical .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look interchangeable to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . plague : Scale InsectsScales are insect , come to to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . unseasoned scales creep until they regain a good alimentation web site . The adult females then lose their legs and continue on a fleck protected by its arduous shell stratum . They appear as hump , often on the lower sides of farewell . They have thrust sass parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Scales can weaken a plant head to yellow leaf and folio drop . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal ontogeny scream sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to verify . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested . look up your local garden nub professional or Cooperative Extension office staff in your county for a legal testimonial regarding their control . Encourage instinctive enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that pop plant tissue . symptom often show up as the rapid espial or droop of leafage . There are many dissimilar blights , specific to various plants , each requiring a varied method acting of control . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 in long , orthogonal in embodiment with have lacy wing and unremarkably found on the underside of folio where they suck sap . nymph may seem bristled and darker than adult . Lacebugs , which do not flee , are sometimes confused with whiteflies that do fly . Damage usually appears as stipples or " " bleached - look " " spot on the leaves . severely , black excrement can ordinarily be determine on the underside of leaf . hurt is most visible during the summertime , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , look watery and almost exanimate .
Prevention and Control : If plague is mild , wash off with a jet of soapy body of water or prune off infested leafage or limbs . Timing is authoritative : spray consort to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To command insects , spray underside of leave with a commend insecticide accord to recording label direction . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leave or area around nervure in leaves seem yellow . This is the result of decreased iron uptake from the soil due to high pH or waterlogged soil . It is crucial to recognise the pH requirements of plants . Prior to planting , ameliorate soil to better drainage and adjust pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is unwashed in plants growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline land . Treat with an iron supplement harmonise to label charge .
Miscellaneous
The most important affair to reckon is getting sufficient water take up into the cut stem . Insufficient water can result in wilting and curtly - inhabit flowers . Bent neck of roses , where the flower head droops , is the result of poor water consumption . To maximize water system uptake , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular system ( the " " plumbery " " of the prow ) is clear . Next immerse the cut of meat stems in warm water .
Remember when the efflorescence is edit out , it is trim off from its food supply . Once water is acquire care of , food is the resource that will run out next . The works stems naturally fee the flush with sugars . If you add a routine of sugar ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help feed the blossom stems and stretch their vase living .
bacterium will build up up in vase water and eventually clog up the root so the peak can not take up water . To prevent this , modify the vase water ofttimes and make a new cut in the stems every few days .
Floral preservatives , available from florists , contain sugar , window pane and bacteriacides that can draw out cut heyday spirit . These come in minuscule packets and are generally available where slice flowers are sold . If used properly , these can extend the vase life of some mown flowers 2 to 3 times when equate with just plain water in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refer to a flora ’s power to tolerate exposure to an extraneous condition(s ) . It does not mean that the works thrives or prefers this place , but is able-bodied to adapt and stay its life cycle .
