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wasabi_va

I prune my azaleas but they grow back ugly

wasabi_VA
18 years ago

I prune my azaleas once a year, not long after they shed their blooms. I kinda hate to do this because they look so thin and leafless but I've been told that is when I need to prune. But by next Spring they have grown back with numerous long branches - not an even growth. They just look ratty but I don't clean them up for fear of cutting off the new blooms that are setting. But right now (winter) they really look like they need trimming again. They will just look ratty this spring as they do every year. I just wish I could get a nice round bush shape.

Comments (8)

  • gardener_sandy
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You can prune out those long branches nearly any time of year. Just cut them down a little below the general size of the shrub and it will neaten them up quite a bit. Don't shear, just selectively prune. I have several in a sidewalk border that would have eaten the sidewalk and front of my house if I hadn't kept them severely pruned over the years. Every fall I spend some time taking out those long straggly branches to neaten them up for the winter and they are beautiful in the spring. Due to the type of pruning I do after bloom time, they are a more formal type shape than normal for azaleas but it works in this particular spot. I probably should move them to the edge of the woods border but I'm too lazy. They are about 15 years old and would require many hours of back breaking work to move. Maybe someday...

    Sandy

  • wasabi_VA
    Original Author
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks meldy and sandy!

    I historically have used hedge clippers - guilty as charged!
    I do not feed regularly - I can change that. And I will prune by hand too. These plants don't get too much shade, nor too much sun. These are pictures I took yesterday and the plants were pruned last Fall! They show how sparse the new growth is. These bushes should be full of new growth, but appear like they will not even have a lot of leaves much less blooms.

    My goal right now is to get them green and lush looking as they just don't look very healthy right now.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • lkaa
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In the first post, you mentioned you pruned right after bloom, but in this last post you said in the fall. Are they spring blooming? When in the fall did you prune? Pruning in the fall might be the biggest part of the problem if they are spring blooming. By pruning in the fall, you just cut off all of that years growth and the following years blooms, hence the scraggly, leafless look. And hand pruning will help keep a more natural look as you can clip, step back and look to make sure you got the right cut. If you are looking for a shrub that has a nice, uniform shape that is more formal, azaleas may not be the right plant. They are meant to be looser and more natural.

  • wasabi_VA
    Original Author
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You are right - I was inconsistent. I pruned them after Spring blooming last year - that I am sure. Now I am fuzzy on if I also pruned them again in the Fall for looking leggy.

  • DWA in AZ Sunset zone 12
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's a link to a helpful Southern Living article, with illustrations:
    http://www.southernliving.com/southern/gardens/how_to/article/0,13676,598688,00.html

  • Vanessa Blanchard
    6 years ago

    Great post on Azaleas. Mine are ugly too. In my front yard and have some shade from the edge of my covered long porch. Personally i think there are too many other bushes i can choose that will be easier and fuller.

  • barbarag_happy
    6 years ago

    You've gotten some really good advice here about selective pruning!

    Shearing is not pruning. If you choose the right azalea for the space, little or no pruning may be needed.

    There are very few shrubs that should be pruned with a hedge clipper. Shearing encourages a lot of weak, twiggy growth and ultimately will cause the whole shrub to decline.

    Landscapers love to shear all your shrubs, then they can charge you to dig them up and replace them.

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