Good question; hard to tell though. "Come back" would depend on just how dry the plant got when the soil dried out. I always wish I had a soil moisture sensor as good as azalea plants are. Because their tiny fibrous roots are so close to the top of the soil, they dry out quicker than almost anything... faster than most plants show signs of lack of water. At some point, the plants reach a threshold after which the azalea will not recover from and, unfortunately, neither of us can tell if the plant reached that point when it dried out. However, what you could do is prune selected stems off the main stem to see if it still alive. Prune each of those stems at 1" or 2" intervals until you reach the main stem or until you see green. I usually test prune using stems at varying heights and at -think of a clock now- 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions off the main stem. Since your plant is old and large, take your time checking as many stems as you feel are appropriate. If none of those stems has green then go for the main stem itself. Continue pruning at 1-2" intervals until you either hit the bottom or until you get green. Due to the age of your plant, the main stem will be thick so use appropriate cutting tools (do not use a machete to test prune). The tool -for example, an anvil lopper- should be of a type that can cut a main stem as thick as your plant's. If you reach bottom pruning the main stem then the plant needs to be replaced. If you do find green, maintain TLC, mulch (4 inches) protect the wound, spray some fungicide and wait for new growth. Do not apply excess fertilizer during these stressful times and maximize the amount of sunshine that the plant gets (4 hours or less of morning sun or dappled sun). When test pruning like this, cut anywhere you want. Azaleas have hidden dormant growth buds scattered along all of their stems.

It is too late now. The container azalea has begun the process of forming flower buds for Spring 2007. July is when they begin bud formation. If you prune now, it will be at the expense of getting flowers next year. I hope you get flowers next Spring! Luis

Okay, first, get past the 'being embarrassed' and letting that keep you from doing what has to be done. Next, start documenting EVERYTHING this girl does--if you have any text or e-mail communications along the line of the verbal exchange you described, PRINT THEM OUT and store them in a VERY secure place that your daughter cannot access. Then, you need to get yourself to a lawyer and start the procedure for having this girl declared unfit to be a parent--she obviously is, but you need to legally get custody of her child and to remove her from your life and his. Just because we're related to someone toxic by an accident of birth DOES NOT mean we have to allow them to hurt and abuse us time after time. She's an adult--if she isn't respectful in your home, she needs to find her own place. If she isn't a good parent, she needs to have her child taken away so he has a better chance at life. I know that probably sounds harsh and extreme, but we've had to deal with toxic family members. They DO NOT CHANGE. Well, except to get worse over time. If you care about yourself and your grandchild, it's time to step up and take the responsibility for improving the situation. The funny thing about it is, if you make your daughter responsible for herself, you actually will be doing her a favor, too.

when you are talking about a couple bucks for a plant ... then zone pushing is fun to do ... but when you are dealing with expensive plants ... one trick is to go one zone colder with choice ... to protect the investment ... and of course.. there is the usual advice to not plant a monoculture ... which can be extended to planting multiples .... bigbox is known to buy in lots of tens of thousands of plants.. and simply ship them all over the US .... not really having any type of local knowledge ... as compared to a good local high end nursery ... where they might not stock these plants .. because they know they are borderline ... ken