New blooms develop much later in the summer, around July-August so s-o-m-e pruning can still be done without hurting flower production. However, major pruning should be done in early spring or during winter when the plant is dormant; in such cases, you can prune in thirds (one third a year). Check the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Azalea Society of America - Pruning Info

Luis, what does some pruning mean? I'm wanting to cut about 1 1/2 feet off the top (they are 6-7 feet tall). Is that too much pruning now? If I prune in the winter I will loose all my flowers for the following spring.

Sorry about the confusion. I meant minor things like cutting dead branches & crossing stems. You probably can prune as much as you described (1.5') now since your shrubs are well established but, personally, I would not do it due to our weather.

Right now, our temperatures are in the 90-95s, humidity is down, the days have become windy and rainshowers are coming scattered or isolated. When showers do come by, they do not dump much rain. Under those weather conditions, I would delay pruning until next year (a few days after they have finished blooming). That way I get to keep next year's bloomage, which azaleas begin to develop around July-August.

Exceptions to that rule: safety or security issues. If someone could trip or they could help thives hide then prune but be careful of azalea roots (they are on the top 4" of your soil and they do not like to be disturbed much). Then keep an eye on soil moisture (keep them well mulched & moist... not wet, not dry). And water during the winter if the winter is dry (once a week or once every two weeks).

Hi Luis,

I am curious why pruning would not help in the hot dry season. It would reduce the stress on the roots and the plant in general by removing moisture loss. I know that pruning can trigger new growth, but normally when the plants are stressed they don't push new growth and new flower buds as hard. When we take cuttings we cut the leaves in half to reduce moisture loss. It seems like that removing leaves by pruning the top 18" off would have a similar effect.

In drought periods, rhododendrons and azaleas naturally prune themselves through a process called die back. However, it results in major branches dying rather then the ends of all branches dying. Pruning could prevent this.