Thinking Texas, my first thoughts were alkaline soil. But after looking at your pictures, the main problem doesn't seem to be pH, but rather poorly drained compacted soil. First, azaleas need an acidic soil. If your soil is not acidic, which I doubt if it is, then you need to modify the pH. If too much modification is necessary, it is best to use a raised bed with a good acidic soil. Second, but most important, azaleas need good drainage. If the soil doesn't drain properly, the roots start to suffocate and get root rot which eventually kills the entire plant. This is also best achieved with a raised bed. Raised Beds: Azaleas need three things, acidic soil, drainage and drainage. If the soil is poorly drained or alkaline, a raised bed may be the best option. Azaleas have shallow roots, so the raised bed only needs to be 6 to 12 inches above grade. Create it by creating a mound or berm, or a raised planting bed using a retaining curb such as logs, timbers or rocks. It is best if the base is a material with good drainage like gravel. Then at least 6 of 8 inches of good acidic, well-drained soil above that. If you use a lot of peat moss or compost remember, the peat moss and compost will decompose over time to 1/2 the original depth, so make the bed proportionately deeper. When preparing new raised beds in soil that is not acidic, the pH may be lowered by adding flowers of sulfur (powdered sulfur). Amounts of powdered sulfur needed to lower the pH of a silt loam soil to a 6-inch depth are given in a table on the website below. A target pH of 5.5 is ideal for most azaleas. Sandy soils would require less and clay soils would require more. Elemental sulfur is converted to sulfuric acid by soil bacteria. Therefore, in order for sulfur to work the following must be satisfied: * Sulfur must be mixed with the soil to provide contact. (Around established azaleas, do not disturb the shallow roots. Sprinkle the sulfur under the mulch and then replace the mulch.) * The soil must be moist * The soil must be aerated (bacteria need oxygen). * The soil must be warm for rapid bacterial growth. * Time is required for the reaction to go to completion. Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow azaleas.

Hello, heckabore. Normally, pruning after the rhodie has set flower buds would cause your problem. However, since it has not been pruned in 5-6 years, something else is causing the problem. Do you mind answering some questions? How close is it planted in relation to the other plants, shrubs and/or trees? Can you give us an idea in terms of plant types and inches/feet of separation? Has the plant ever bloomed... at all? Do you have flower buds now or did the plant not even set buds at all? If it has buds, how do they look? Healthy? Are they browned out? Do they look like they have hair covering them? (That is a sign of a fungal infection.) Do you have animals that could eat the flower buds in your city? Deer and squirrels have been known to eat the buds in some locales. If the plant is not developing buds, how much and when do you fertlize? Could it be getting too much nitrogen directly (when you fertilize it) and indirectly (from lawn fertilizers)? Normally, you do not need to fertilize rhodies as they feed off the decomposing mulch. But if you have to fertilize due to poor soils or because it is in a pot then the plant could stay busy in growing mode if you apply fertilizers after July or so. July or so is when the plant begins developing flower buds for next year. Cold weather can be issue but I doubt it would be THE issue for so many years in Zone 9. Moreover, I would have expected it to be an issue for the azaleas too. Very wet conditions could also cause problems during summer so let us know if you normally have cool wet summers. Lack of sun can also be an issue although I would be suspicious of that if the nearby azaleas are blooming as well as you say. Is the plant suffering from moisture issues at the time it is developing the flower buds (July-August)? This could be an issue to nearby azaleas but it surprises me that all of them are doing ok. How much and how often do you water during the summer? If they are drowned in water during this critical time, they may be unable to develop buds. Ditto for lack of water. Soil Ph might be an issue too but it would have affected the other azaleas. Lack of certain micro nutrients in the soil can trigger this behaviour in rhodies but, again, I am surprised that the nearby azaleas have not been affected. When was the last time that you had a soil test? Lastly and this is not a cop out, I have heard of some varieties of rhododendron that never bloom but I doubt yours would be if the label showed otherwise. People buy them for the foliage. Of course, you did mention that the missing plant label indicated otherwise. If we cannot figure something out, do not feel obliged to keep this weak specimen. Some plants like roses (Queen Elizabeth for example) sometimes bloom poorly or not all. Luis

First, it's fine to prune and shape your azaleas so they are not obscuring your window, but be forewarned that these may not be the right plants for that site...they are going to grow again and eventually be back at the same height that is displeasing you now. Prune immediately after bloom so as not to spoil this years display. Is there something different about the azalea on the end that would cause it to not thrive like the others? More sun, less water? Spider mites can often be controlled, or reduced in numbers, by frequent blasts from the hose, several days in a row, dislodging them and spoiling their preference for dry conditions. Pruning congested plants would make that easier to achieve. Last, the swollen, malformed leaves - azalea leaf gall. If you have just the few you describe, hand pick and dispose of them. Heavier infections may respond to a fungicide spray just as leaves begin to unfurl, but it doesn't sound like you have enough of a problem to warrant spraying. This is common following a wet spring, your post will probably be the first of several this season. :) Here is a link that might be useful: Azalea leaf gall

They should be OK. You are right that deadheading is just removing the flower and not cutting the stem. However, the good news is that they will develop new buds along the stem and bush out eventually. Just be a little patient. They should have some flowers next year but even more the following year.