Hi all … how have you all been?

We now have three Azalea standards out the back, the type that like shade and flower throughout the warmer months.

So I’m wondering about pruning …

The information I have read/seen demonstrates to prune after flowering, or there won’t be flowers next year. Pruning at the wrong time can also promote flowering within the foliage area.

I’d like a reasonably tight ball shape if possible, as tight as they can get given their natural desire to grow outward.

Does anyone have some good reference material or links to share?

Cheers.

enduro said:

Hi all … how have you all been?

We now have three Azalea standards out the back, the type that like shade and flower throughout the warmer months.

So I’m wondering about pruning …

The information I have read/seen demonstrates to prune after flowering, or there won’t be flowers next year. Pruning at the wrong time can also promote flowering within the foliage area.

I’d like a reasonably tight ball shape if possible, as tight as they can get given their natural desire to grow outward.

Does anyone have some good reference material or links to share?

Cheers.

I hate to discourage people but these aren’t easy to keep as well as advertised and probably more of a wank than anything else. http://www.igarden.com.au/archivedBlog.jsp?id=399

First up they aren’t for every part of Australia.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1170402.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Prune-Azaleas

http://www.rhododendron.org/v47n3p136.htm

http://www.aboutthegarden.com.au/index.php/planting-guide-for-abundant-azaleas/

You don’t have to read all those links.

This statement is ample:

Selective pinching of the terminal buds to increase branching can continue up until about the first week of August (later in the South). Pinching or shearing must stop while there is still enough of the growing season left to allow the plants to set flower buds for the next spring’s show. Late pruning will take away the flower buds for the following year.

In formal garden, like some Japanese gardens, evergreen azaleas are often sheared to smooth rounded shapes. This is fine and gives results that are pleasing to many people, but, as we indicated earlier, shearing must stop in time for the plants to set flower buds.

In summary, the first rule of pruning is to select the right varieties in the first place and plant them where they’ll do what you want without a lot of pruning. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from, dwarf, medium and tall, in many colors, blooming early and late. The second rule is to stop pruning while there is still time for the plant to set flower buds for the next year: around the first of August in the Mid-Atlantic region, and late August in the South. Third, don’t leave stubs when pruning larger branches; cut them off flush with another branch.

roughbarked said:

You don’t have to read all those links.

This statement is ample:

Selective pinching of the terminal buds to increase branching can continue up until about the first week of August (later in the South). Pinching or shearing must stop while there is still enough of the growing season left to allow the plants to set flower buds for the next spring’s show. Late pruning will take away the flower buds for the following year.

In formal garden, like some Japanese gardens, evergreen azaleas are often sheared to smooth rounded shapes. This is fine and gives results that are pleasing to many people, but, as we indicated earlier, shearing must stop in time for the plants to set flower buds.

In summary, the first rule of pruning is to select the right varieties in the first place and plant them where they’ll do what you want without a lot of pruning. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from, dwarf, medium and tall, in many colors, blooming early and late. The second rule is to stop pruning while there is still time for the plant to set flower buds for the next year: around the first of August in the Mid-Atlantic region, and late August in the South. Third, don’t leave stubs when pruning larger branches; cut them off flush with another branch.

Well it was from one of those links and Northern hemisphere but I’m sure it works the opposite way here.

enduro said:

Hi all … how have you all been?

We now have three Azalea standards out the back, the type that like shade and flower throughout the warmer months.

So I’m wondering about pruning …

The information I have read/seen demonstrates to prune after flowering, or there won’t be flowers next year. Pruning at the wrong time can also promote flowering within the foliage area.

I’d like a reasonably tight ball shape if possible, as tight as they can get given their natural desire to grow outward.

Does anyone have some good reference material or links to share?

Cheers.

Hi enduro,

I have never grown Azaleas as a standard so my hands on experience is didly, but I do recall seeing some nice Azaleas that had been topiarised in the Japanese Gardens in Cowra a few years back and the small gardening team there seemed very happy to field questions on their hort techniques. If Cowra is near to you, then I’d recommend a visit and a chat to the team. I forget the head gardeners name at the moment, he was a nice chap. Or maybe you could email them for some advice???

Merry Christmas by the way…

pain master said:

enduro said:

Hi all … how have you all been?

We now have three Azalea standards out the back, the type that like shade and flower throughout the warmer months.

So I’m wondering about pruning …

The information I have read/seen demonstrates to prune after flowering, or there won’t be flowers next year. Pruning at the wrong time can also promote flowering within the foliage area.

I’d like a reasonably tight ball shape if possible, as tight as they can get given their natural desire to grow outward.

Does anyone have some good reference material or links to share?

Cheers.

Hi enduro,

I have never grown Azaleas as a standard so my hands on experience is didly, but I do recall seeing some nice Azaleas that had been topiarised in the Japanese Gardens in Cowra a few years back and the small gardening team there seemed very happy to field questions on their hort techniques. If Cowra is near to you, then I’d recommend a visit and a chat to the team. I forget the head gardeners name at the moment, he was a nice chap. Or maybe you could email them for some advice???

Merry Christmas by the way…

Good advice PM.

The Yates page on Azaleas says: Pruning

The Japanese have taken the art of pruning azaleas to new heights by clipping the plants into neat buns that rarely allow stray shoots to escape.

Pruning isn’t always necessary but it will help keep the plants in good shape. Prune immediately after flowering finishes. With some varieties (e.g. Red Wing – pictured) blooming continues for months so it’s important to be patient. After flowering, you can cut back as hard as you like because azaleas have the amazing ability to produce shoots from almost anywhere on the stem. Tall, wayward shoots can be shortened at other times of year but, remember, general cutting back close to flowering time will reduce the display. http://www.yates.com.au/flowers/grow/growing-azaleas/