Petal blight is very difficult to control. Only the extension agent in your state can make specific recommendations. Here are some general recommendations: Wilted flower petals can harbor fungi such as petal blight. If the blooms were infected with petal blight then remove them. All spent flowers should be destroyed. Destroy them by burning or having hauled away with the trash or garbage. Petal blight is a disease that hits some rhododendrons and azaleas that bloom later in the spring. It causes the flower to turn mushy before it naturally wilts. If you look closely it forms unsightly brown spots on the flowers. Some fungicides provide control if applied when or just before flower buds open. The best fungicides are a combination of chlorothalonil and benomyl or Mancozeb or Bayleton or triadimefon. During moist seasons, control may be difficult for late blooming varieties. Sanitation practices such as deadheading and removal of diseased material my improve control. In the northwestern US, Ovulinia is present, but similar symptoms can also be caused by Botrytis cinerea which is less damaging to the flowers and easier to control. Some people will spray their garden every week from the when the buds first show color until the are all gone and cleaned up. This is especially important if the garden is on a garden tour to make sure that the flowers aren't decimated before the guests arrive.

Many people cannot 'see' lacebugs due to their interesting camouflage. What is seen, however, is the result of months of feeding seen by the loss of chlorophyll as well as the blackish fecal droppings on the underside of the leaves. They are truly difficult to spot as they remain very still on the underside of the leaves. You would not be alone in overlooking them. Sevin is not a good choice for pest control. One reason is that this particular insecticide is well known to cause an unwanted population explosion of other pests, especially spider mites. I wonder if your azaleas might not be suffering from those, too. Sevin is also one of the most toxic of all pesticides to bees and other pollinators. Sevin is also a wide spectrum pesticide and is harmful to any beneficial insects that may be trying to help you control real pests. It's deadly to earthworms and harmful to other non-target wildlife. Last but least, it is a cholinesterase inhibitor, which makes it a true hazard for warm blooded animals....like you. Sevin should never be used around households with the elderly, those who are on medications that stress the liver (just about all of them), the young, pregnant, men or women trying to have a family, pets....the list goes on. You honestly have two choices, in my opinion. Azaleas respond wonderfully to what is called "rejuvenation pruning". This procedure calls for cutting the plants ALL of the way back to the ground...leaving stumps no greater than 6 inches (or less). Shocking? Yes, at first, but your azaleas (if they are still alive and have any energy left) will respond with amazing growth in a short time. Pest free growth, as long as you keep up with the lacebugs. I've recommended renovation pruning for azaleas (and lots of other kinds of woody plants) hundreds of times. It can be hugely successful. Your other option is to clip a few of those dead looking branches to see if your plant is mostly dead at the bottom or just sulking. If dead....they should be yanked and put to the curb. If not dead, cut them to the ground and let them regrow. I've had the most luck controlling these pests by using applications of horticultural oil at various times of the year. Oil applications must be applied to the underside of the leaves, where the adults, eggs, and nymphs hang out. Horticultural oils are considered safe to use around children and pets. They work by physically smothering the pest (all stages) rather than by poisoning.

The flower buds were formed last year, so your transplanting had nothing to do with the number of flower buds. In mid winter the flower buds and leaf buds look similar. Then in spring the flower bud swell up and open. The leaf buds normally just open without much swelling. Looking closely you can see how many flower buds they had after the leaf buds open. The flower buds will be either spent flowers or unopened flower buds. There are several reasons flower buds don't open: drought, frost, fungal damage, and premature partial opening in the fall or mid winter. The reasons for poor bud set are also multiple: poor health of the plant, lack of light, too much fertilizer, and poor drainage. Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow azaleas

Hello, hoosiergirl28. Not here but our winter are so mild that most azaleas will be evergreen most years. In very cold environments like Zone 4, azaleas will loose their leaves and then leaf out when Spring temperatures return. Leaf out and blooming occur at different times of the year and depends on the azalea variety that you have. If the plants regularly begin to leaf out or bloom at times when these get zapped by late frosts, the plants may not be hardy in your zone. Why? Well, because you end up with plants that do not bloom much or do not bloom at all. While the new tender leaves and the buds can be killed by the late frosts, the leaves will return but that just leaves you with a nice green plant year around. Under normal weather conditions, you should not be having to cover/protect them so much in order to make sure that the flower buds will not be affected. Because azaleas originated from warmer locations, they have a hard time thriving in areas such as yours (Zone 4). Winter resistant hybrids have been developed that get can handle these problems. But to tell if your blooming problem is due to the weather, I was wondering if you could post the variety (name) of these azaleas? Perhaps from the plant label if you still have it? If you really want to keep these shrubs, you may want to consider moving the plants to a more protected location where they get about 4rs of morning sun and stop fertilizing & pruning (if you do any pruning that is) in July. If it turns out that this particular variety does not do well in Zone 4, you could replace the plants by other varieties that are more resistant to winter damage. In the meantime, maintain the soil well mulched (3-4" of acidic mulch) and moist, not wet or dry. Here is a link that might be useful: Article from the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum