These are my azaleas in 2022 vs now. For the last 4 years, these bushes have only been blooming on one side.
A few things I remember doing / happening:
· I trimmed them once (maybe too harshly?)
· Bunnies dug a hole underneath and had babies in there
I can’t figure out why this is happening. Could the pruning have shocked them? Did the bunnies damage the roots? Is it a sun issue that only showed up later?
Appreciate any help. Thank you
by Deepthika
17 Comments
They love acidic soil so maybe check your soil ph.
I’m not entirely sure but does the soil need amended since rabbits were in there. Do you water them enough. Do you feed the soil. If you sorted all that and possibly trimmed them too much then maybe they just need time.
Did you prune them with a hedge trimmer?
Azaleas bloom on old wood, so if you trim them, you remove the old wood.
How much sun do they get? I’m wondering if maybe the ones on the left get more shade than the ones on the right, especially if these are Encore Azaleas which typically need more sun for blooming.
Edit: And yes, it’s possible the sun issue is “new” if you have large trees or shrubs that have grown in the last four years and are shading out the azaleas. Is that possible?
The set pretty early so if you trim them too long after the bloom you may have just split the window.
It’s dyiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnng. :/
Do you get a lot of deer? Or could someone else be trimming them? The shape is pretty square for an untrimmed hedge.
“Big Bloom” by Fox Farm. It is a really light fertilizer for heavy flower production. Worth a shot in my opinion.
You can chop 1/3rd of the volume off the bush and it’s fine so I don’t think you hurt it from trimming.
Trimming is best done after blooming.
At least you’re camellia is doing well
Could this be weather related? Spring blooming shrubs, trees, etc., suffer from extreme spring temps like late frosts or early heat.
Since it sounds like this has a serious answer, I want to provide my funny one.
It was Dug.
Azaleas set bud in May (in the northern hemisphere). You are supposed to only prune them right after they bloom and before May. If you miss that pruning time, leave it until next year unless it’s blocking a path or something.
How long has this been happening? Every year since 2022, or is it just recently that the one side isn’t blooming? Has the side that isn’t blooming been stressed in any way? How is the foliage? Does the plant seem otherwise healthy besides not flowering?
I have a large azalea which I discovered is actually two azaleas very close to one another (two main stem clusters when looking closely at ground level). They’ve always flowered beautifully every year, except a few years ago we did some major renovations and had a retaining wall built nearby (but I thought the azalea was untouched). The following spring, the side nearest the new retaining wall didn’t flower at all. Then another year later it was back to flowering again. In my case, I’m guessing the new construction must have somehow stressed the plants roots and caused it to not flower the following year.
Question- did you happen to prune your azalea hedge that isn’t blooming late in the year? Azalea buds set a bit after this years bloom, so one usually prunes not too long after the flowers drop. This is to avoid removing next season’s buds
I see you are in PDX… do the non-blooming leaves look “silverish”? Turn them over, are there little black spots on the undersides? Do you have rhodi’s that have gone downhill in the last three years?
If so, I’d say azalea lace wings… [some info from Portland Nursery](https://www.portlandnursery.com/garden-pests/azalea-lace-bug) that may help. Clack Co. Extension can help with volunteers who can come to you as well. I am fighting this fight right now.