KMG recently linked to this article about keeping your garden healthy, and it points out that azaleas in too much sun will suffer from illness and disease. Well, you know mine have suffered from disease. These leaf spots appear to be indicative of illness, in the form of sun scald - see the burnt-looking tips and discoloration? (sorry the picture is fuzzy). There is a very similar picture in the article.
I moved another ill-planted azalea to the back yard a year or so ago, and it's looking healthier, though it didn't bloom this year either. Hopefully it and the new two transplants will eventually recover and do what they're supposed to do!
In place of the two azaleas, I eschewed planting another evergreen shrub, and instead planted some cheap-o perennials. Yes, I know, it's the wrong time of year to establish perennials, and that's why they're so cheap right now, but I couldn't resist -- these pictured were 1/2 off (and I bought another 12 daylilies at Lowe's last weekend for fifty cents each!):
In the shrub's hole went: unknown butter yellow daylily, pineapple sage, red hot poker, veronica. We bought the veronicas specifically because the ones at the nursery were COVERED with bees! I saw a butterfly hurry over to them as soon as we got them out of the car - awesome!
On a totally unrelated note, after loads of cherry tomatoes, I finally got my first red/normal-sized tomato this weekend, and it was so delicious in caprese salad with basil from the garden, too! Doesn't it just look like summer?
9 comments:
I will keep my fingers crossed for your azaleas. As always, right plant right place makes life a lot easier.
Azaleas are tricky! I don't have any here due to a profound lack of shade. Congrats on your tomato!
Good luck with the azaleas. I can't believe you found perennials for 50 cents. Wow! What a bargain!
Congrats on finally getting a regular size tomato. I have had a couple and that's about it.
I don't like tomatoes...but I will admit that does look good!
Janet- I don't have a lot of hope for them, but I couldn't bring myself to scrap them. It will be funny 10 years from now when they still haven't bloomed and I'm still saying that!!
Dave- they are so common around here, even in yards with a lot of sunlight. My mom's are all in full sun! I guess some cultivars can handle it better than others. I suspect mine weren't watered much their first year of life, which combined with the sun made them so sickly. Oh well!
Susie - Lowes on Lakeland still has a bunch of the fifty cent daylilies! It took great restraint to not buy ALL of them - LOL!
DP - Scott doesn't like raw tomatoes either, but makes an exception for caprese!
I bet as long as you keep them watered they'll be just fine. I move things all the time, and for some reason hot days seem to be the days I do the most moving. You got some great deals on the plants, I love Veronica.
I agree--move them when you have time to dig and replant. Water and compost ease the pain. Must have been fun to break the law!
I have pineapple sage in one of the hottest parts of my front yard and daylilies in the HOTTEST part of my yard. The pineapple sage is nice cos it wilts when it's thirsty, but the daylilies just go brown and sad. Thankfully daylilies are tough. I think it's a bold move as a Southerner to call defeat on azaleas. The only thing worse you could have done is call defeat on the crape myrtle. There'd have been a lynchin'!
Catherine- I'm going to be diligent about watering and hope for the best. Scott dug up huge root-balls, so the shrubs haven't suffered any their first week in their new home. Good sign, hopefully.
Daffodil Planter- I'm planning on harvesting compost this weekend, and will share some of it with them!
NSARH- I'm glad those two plants are surviving in the heat in your yard. As for the azalea - I know, I'm ashamed!! I gave them three years!!
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