Azaleas are not know to be good hedge plants. That doesn't stop the Japanese. They shear their azaleas into hedges, which is shocking since they have such a great command of horticulture.

Formosum has a vigorous rangy growth habit. It needs to have new growth on its top cut off so that the sides will thicken up. It is normal for the leaves to turn bronze to red in cool weather. It is one of the toughest varieties for heat and sun.

One trick is to always prune azaleas right after they bloom so you don't loose next years flowers. They form next years flower buds on the new shoots that come out after they bloom.

To make the plants healthier, cut out dead wood inside the plant. Prune azaleas from the inside with shears, not from the outside with hedge pruners. This way you will have a healthier plant. Try to keep it from getting too dense inside. It needs air flow inside to do well. Also fertilize with a good azalea food like Hollytone at about half the strength listed on the package.

If you prune the plants so that light and air can get inside, they will keep more leaves, healthier leaves also.

Thanks for the recommendations! We are going to try and shape up what we have and see if we can make them look better. Hopefully, they will look better next spring.

Prune them when they quit blooming, take some out, where you remove those, interplant some bridal wreath. You will like it and it is a beautiful fence but the bridal wreath just makes the azaleas 1000 times more beautiful when creating a living fence or hedge.

As long as the bridal wreath spirea isn't pruned into a boxy hedge shape.
That graceful fountain shape that spireas grow in is what makes them so beautiful.

Patricia, do you have some photos to share?

Nell