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plants and frost....and where is everybody?
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Posted by donnas Z6 VA (My Page) on Mon, Apr 30, 07 at 14:34
| This is a stupid question, but one I need to know. If the frost gets your plants, does that mean the plant is dead, or that it just won't do anything this year? I posted about my azalea bush that I had planted last spring (I also posted on the Azalea forum). It looked like it was turning brown, and the flower buds were still small, but only one opened at the very base of the plant. I also put my finger in the soil and it is wet...more wet than moist. So I'm wondering if it is getting too much water or if the frost did get it, since I didn't cover it on cold nights. I went ahead and pruned most of it back. Am I doing anything right here? Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: plants and frost....and where is everybody?
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| Well our azaleas were already blooming and putting up new leaves. The frost zapped them all. Some of the leaves are still a dark burgundy or brownish color. Since its been a few weeks I shook the plant a little and noticed a lot of the leaves falling off. But at the tips there are now little green specks. The leaves are coming back just below the point at which the new leaves and flowers wilted. The azaleas will not flower again this season so its ok to cut them back, but if you left them alone they would have been fine too. The plants will bloom next year barring any other unseasonable freezes. Just don't cut them back again b/c they set their flower buds in the fall I believe. This is the best time of year to prune azaleas (just after they bloom). |
RE: plants and frost....and where is everybody?
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| Azaleas like damp soil conditions, not soggy wet. That prevents air circulation around the roots which is necessary for most plants. If you're watering it, stop for now and wait till we get into our typical mid-summer drought. Then water it well once a week. If it's in a naturally wet area, you might need to move it. You did the right thing in pruning out the dead material. That's important to keep diseases from spreading into the healthy parts. Good luck with this shrub. Azaleas are so pretty and really are easy to grow in most of our area of the country. |
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