Encore Azalea Advice: Too much sun?

last year

Hello! I'm new to this forum and gardening and hope that some azalea expert can help me with advice!

I bought three Autumn Carnation Encore Azaleas (3 gallon pots) and planted them in my zone 7 (Brooklyn, NY), south-facing garden in full sun against the foundation of my house. I planted them in mid-spring. I mulched them well. The website where I got them said that this kind of azalea loves full sun and is drought-resistant after the first year.

We had a really hot summer, and despite my watering them frequently, two of the three plants got pretty scorched and about half of each of the two plants died. I cut away the dead parts. The third is thriving, and the other two are green and happy in the parts that lived and growing back a little in the halves that died. But the two damaged ones are still scrawnier than when they first arrived, due to the damage. I have three questions: should I not have chosen this particular variety for that location, and will I have this problem every summer, or is this just because, during the first year, the Autumn Carnation is less drought resistant? Maybe it's not really true that they are drought-resistant. My second question is: should I try to replace those two "wounded" plants with fresh ones (I do want to fill out this foundation area sooner rather than later, and now two of the bushes a bit unshapely), or just wait to see how those two look in the spring? Third question: if it's a good idea to replace those two, is it okay to do it in the fall or better to wait for spring? I do want the three azaleas to be about the same size, so I know that starting over with two would mean the third would look too large, but maybe I could prune the happy, healthy third one.

I guess I have yet another question! When I planted them, they looked so small in that space that I planted dahlias between them to temporarily fill it out a little, expecting that the dahlias would die as annuals (yes, I know I can lift them but I am not ready for that level of gardening expertise!). The dahlias are super happy and have grown, but I have to wonder if maybe I thwarted the growth of my azaleas by planting a competitor. What do you think?

Thank you!

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Comments (2)

luis_pr
last year
last modified: last year
I suspect its root system was not quite ready for the outside world and may perform better if the soil is deeply watered and always kept evenly moist at all times. That means not dry but not wet. Reviewing your temperatures, they were not terrible and the brief spikes to 95°F were brief. If you tend to water based on a schedule (certain days or every 'x' days), that will not work at first. You may need to test the soil moisture daily in the mornings at a depth of 4" (use a finger) during the summer months in order to determine when to water or when to skip watering so the soil is always kept evenly damp/moist. Use enough water to reach down to a depth of 8" (water the soil, wait for the water to percolate and then test the soil). I have Amethyst Azaleas here in Texas, z8a, and once established (that is a fuzzy term that means anywhere from 1-3 years), it has not had issues and survived extreme damage from February 2020 with flying colors. The plant broke dormancy early and started blooming just as temperatures crashed to -2°F. After pruning areas subjected to bark split, it was blooming again by late summer. My summer temperatures are hostile, over 100°F daily from June through September so I provided some afternoon shade. Another neighbor has another variety that gets only noon, afternoon and evening sun until 9pm. Neither has shown leaf symptoms of too much sun. I consulted their website (provide your zip code; click on 'look up zone'; click on 'Autumn Carnation') and it indicated that for Brooklyn, it can be in full sun. I would not plant near the azaleas as they have very shallow, fibrous roots, about as deep as 4" at first. I would keep the dahlias away from them even though their tuberous roots will not present a problem if properly spaced away. The literature for Carnation says its spread is 4 feet. I am not quite sure if a lack of evenly moist soil and/or a lack of deep enough watering may have caused a watering issue that caused leaf loss but be aware that when this happens to me here, they get new foliage by spring without pruning. The plants simply go semi-dormant and do not produce new leaves if temperatures are too warm. Finally, review the area where the pants are located too and see if there is sunlight that might bounce of cemented/bright surfaces and help cause "too much sun".

https://encoreazalea.com/the-collection/resources-find-your-zone/
Marie
Original Author
last year
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
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Encore Azalea Advice: Too much sun?

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luis_pr

Marie
Original Author

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Encore Azalea Advice: Too much sun?

Comments (2)

luis_pr

MarieOriginal Author

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Marie
Original Author