I have three Pride of Mobile Azaleas I put in the ground in March. I live in zone 8 (15 minutes north of Dallas, TX). Do I need to cover my plants? This summer was very hard on them but they have recovered very well. We had 30+ days of 100+ heat. I believe the main problem this summer was that I was using miracle grow food every two weeks but was applying it through my water hose directly on the leaves during the 100+ heat. I think this is one of the main reasons I had leaf scorch. I have 4 to 5 inches of pine mulch in the bed right now but I am not sure if I should cover the full plant as well. Also, does anyone know if this type of Azalea (Pride of Mobile) will drop leaves during the winter? Winter temps here are usually 30's and 40's but we will have a week or two every year were the temp will drop to the 20's.