Azaleas are grown as landscape plants in Oklahoma. Muskogee has incredible Azalea gardens that people visit in the early spring. I have always planted on the north or east side of the house in a mix of half peat moss. And mulched with pecan shells. You could do the same in a pot.

And in late winter, I sprayed with dormant oil. Don't want to spray once the weather gets warm.

HTH,

Sandy

Sandy: I have 30 year old evergreen azaleas and a winter ago the middle ones all died. Just a big circle in the middle of the bed. I have no idea why. I want to try to root some of them to fill in the bare space. Do you know how to do that?i have also never heard of dormant oil. What is it, how is it used and where do I buy it? Any other azalea advice for OKC would be greatly appreciated.
Debbie

Susan, I just want to say welcome to the forum and no question is inappropriate so ask anything here.

In some parts of Oklahoma that have well-draining soil and more acidic soil, azaleas are easy to grow in the ground. In the parts of OK that have very dense, slow-draining alkaline clay, they are better off grown in containers or in raised beds filled with a peat moss/pine bark mix or you can use pecan shells if you can find them. I never see the pecan shells down here in southern OK. Our commercial pecan industry down here isn't what it once was, but it sounds like they are readily available in NE OK.

Azaleas grow best in soil with a pH between 4.5 and 6.0 so be sure you put either buy or put together a mix for your containers that is within the right pH range for them.

Even here in southern OK where our soil pH is in the 8.0 to 8.2 range and many of us have dense, slow-draining red clay soil, you can grow azaleas in a raised bed that is very well amended with peat moss and pine bark fines, particularly if you can site the bed where the plants have morning sun and afternoon shade. Since our soils drain so slowly down here where I live, the raised bed is essential, but you wouldn't even need a raised bed if you don't have clay soil. I don't think you're restricted to only growing azaleas in pots unless that is just your preference. I grew them in north central Texas in a raised bed well above grade level in amended black gumbo clay and they were fine, although they required more frequent watering in summer than the rest of our landscape.

However, be mindful of the fact that the varieties of azaleas grown for florists may not be the ones most adaptable to our climate. I don't suppose it came with a plant tag that tells you the variety name?

Dawn