Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Azalea Japonica Lollipop Trees

natLelXXNZJnatLelXXNZJ Posts: 15
edited June 2020 in Plants
Hi, I'm new to gardening.
My new Azalea tree is looking brown. I thought it has past the flowering stage (it looked beautiful when it arrived) but I've noticed the leaves are a little brown in places too.
Is this normal or is it needing something?
«1

Posts

  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Ah those damned standards...they can be trouble all too frequently. Can you post a couple of pictures to help us out? 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • natLelXXNZJnatLelXXNZJ Posts: 15
    I tried posting a picture several times now but it doesn't seem to work.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Try resizing the photos to below 1MB. That allow them to load easily.
    I'd say your azalea is dehydrated though. By far the most likely scenario. It could also be some wind damage, depending on the site it's in etc  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • natLelXXNZJnatLelXXNZJ Posts: 15
    finally got it to work
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    It looks like a water deficiency to me, judging from a similar issue on a rhododendron of mine. I'd pick those affected leaves and be really diligent about watering and should be fine, actually I like the habit of it being more relaxed than a stiff ball. Deadhead all the spent flowers too. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • natLelXXNZJnatLelXXNZJ Posts: 15
    Thank you, I need to go on a rescue mission with a few of my plants this afternoon. I think the spell of hot weather hasn't helped although I've watered the garden every evening.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    It happens to all of us, and with rhodos and azaleas sometimes you only discover months later as they take a while to show those water deficiencies growing slower than others. But they're tough plants, my Percy Wiseman rhododendron lost so many leaves and yet flowered really well and is now on the way to recovery with lots of new growth to the branches I had to trim off. Lesson, learned! 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • natLelXXNZJnatLelXXNZJ Posts: 15
    When clearing my Nana's house out with her moving to a care home, I found a very dead looking Azalea lying in a pot knocked over. I've planted it at home in the hope it will miraculously recover lol.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    You never know, give it some love...and good luck ;)
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Also - don't listen to people when they say you can't prune azaleas/rhodos. It's nonsense.
    I got grief from someone years ago on this forum for daring to say so. When I said 'you can prune them' I was told that 'just because you can , doesn't mean you should'. 
    I decided not to bother responding!
    They grow like weeds up here as the climate suits them so well. Some rhodos make very good hedging plants too, in the right conditions  :)

    Yours just needs the spent heads removing @natLelXXNZJ -as @amancalledgeorge says, and copious watering through dry weather - especially in late summer when the new bids are forming for next year's flowers. I agree too - nicer specimen than the 'forced' ball head   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sign In or Register to comment.