Posted 11:41 pm Thursday, March 14, 2013
Send to Kindle
It's Azalea time once again in Tyler
By Keith Hansen
Smith County horticulturist
Smith County horticulturist
Tomorrow is the opening of the annual Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower Trail, kicking off with a ribbon cutting at the Pyrons' beautiful garden on Dobbs Street. Thanks to an enterprising nurseryman, Maurice Shamburger, who in 1929 recognized that Tyler had ideal soils and climate for these fabulous spring-blooming shrubs, Tyler now is a destination for thousands who tour the dazzling displays throughout the city.
Azaleas do best in part-sun, part-shady locations, in well-drained soils that are moderately acidic with a pH of around 5.5. They thrive when the soil is generously amended with a finished composted product, and kept evenly moist during the growing season. That last part can be more challenging in the summer time, but with a drip or microspray irrigation system, coupled with several inches of mulch on the surface of the soil, azaleas will thrive and remain healthy for many years.
There are thousands of varieties of azaleas, and choosing which ones to grow might be a challenge. Evergreen azaleas are grouped in hybrid classes, and can be further broken down in to their blooming season. They may be early-, mid- or late-season bloomers, or somewhere in between.
Earlier this year it looked like the early azalea blooming season, for which the Trail is known, might start a little early with the warm temperatures in late January and early February. But thanks to cooler, cloudy weather, the pace of spring slowed, and now everything is ready to burst forth in color with warm, sunny days.
Some of the types of azaleas you will see during the time of the Azalea Trail include the smaller statured Kurume hybrids, such as Hino de Giri, Coral Bells and Snow. Then there are the larger the Southern Indica types like Judge Solomon, Mrs. G.G. Gerbing, Formosa or Pride of Mobile. Red Ruffles, Hampton Beauty, Delaware Valley White and Fashion are among the many other varieties blooming in early spring.
Other types bloom a bit later in April, such as the Glenn Dale and Robin Hill hybrids. Then in May, the Satsuki varieties extend the show with their large, showy blooms.
Azaleas do best in part-sun, part-shady locations, in well-drained soils that are moderately acidic with a pH of around 5.5. They thrive when the soil is generously amended with a finished composted product, and kept evenly moist during the growing season. That last part can be more challenging in the summer time, but with a drip or microspray irrigation system, coupled with several inches of mulch on the surface of the soil, azaleas will thrive and remain healthy for many years.
There are thousands of varieties of azaleas, and choosing which ones to grow might be a challenge. Evergreen azaleas are grouped in hybrid classes, and can be further broken down in to their blooming season. They may be early-, mid- or late-season bloomers, or somewhere in between.
Earlier this year it looked like the early azalea blooming season, for which the Trail is known, might start a little early with the warm temperatures in late January and early February. But thanks to cooler, cloudy weather, the pace of spring slowed, and now everything is ready to burst forth in color with warm, sunny days.
Some of the types of azaleas you will see during the time of the Azalea Trail include the smaller statured Kurume hybrids, such as Hino de Giri, Coral Bells and Snow. Then there are the larger the Southern Indica types like Judge Solomon, Mrs. G.G. Gerbing, Formosa or Pride of Mobile. Red Ruffles, Hampton Beauty, Delaware Valley White and Fashion are among the many other varieties blooming in early spring.
Other types bloom a bit later in April, such as the Glenn Dale and Robin Hill hybrids. Then in May, the Satsuki varieties extend the show with their large, showy blooms.
NATIVE AZALEAS
Very different, but very attractive are the native azaleas and their hybrids. All are native to the southern and eastern parts of the U.S. These azaleas differ markedly from the more familiar evergreen counterparts because they are deciduous, typically blooming before or as they put on new leaves in spring. The flowers are more tubular, and often sweetly fragrant. And the colors are very striking, from the clusters of pale to medium pink flowers of the Piedmont or Honeysuckle azalea (R. canescens), to the striking gold, orange, yellow and blends of the Florida and Flame azaleas (R, austrinum, R. flammeum) and the many hybrids of the species. These plants typically grow tall, up to 8 feet, and work well in the back of a shrub bed.
ENCORE AZALEAS
Encore azaleas is a trademarked group of azaleas (29 varieties) known for repeat blooming spring, summer and again in the fall. They come in all sizes and colors, and new varieties continue to be released. This year's additions include Autumn Sunburst, Autumn Lily, Autumn Ivory and Autumn Jewel. The newer varieties have also been bred and selected for greater tolerance to sun and resistance to azalea lace bugs.
AZALEA PESTS
No doubt the most troubling insect pest of azaleas is the azalea lace bug. These plant sap-sucking true bugs feed on the underside of leaves, creating a stippled, bleached appearance on the upper surface of the leaves. They leave tell-tale signs of their presence on the lower leaf surface — large numbers of shiny black specs. The bugs themselves are small and lacy in appearance, blending in with the background, so they are easy to overlook. Knocking branches over white paper is one way to observe them. Azalea lace bugs are more likely to feed on plants that are stressed or receiving too much sun and/or not enough water.
They are not difficult to kill, but insecticide products sprayed must reach the underside of the foliage, requiring good pressure from your sprayer. This can be challenging for large plants with dense foliage.
Azadirachtin, insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, neem oil, or spinosad are low-toxicity products that will temporarily control lace bugs if applied thoroughly to cover the underside of leaves where adults and nymphs occur.
There are a couple of soil-applied systemic insecticides that will do a good job of controlling azalea lace bugs for most of growing season. Look for the active ingredient imidacloprid, which is found in many products labeled for tree and shrub insect control, and dinotefuran, sold as Safari. Start early in the growing season for best control results. While insecticides will not restore the damaged foliage, they can reduce or prevent further damage.
Keith Hansen is Smith County horticulturist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His web page is http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu His blog is http://agrilife.org/etg
They are not difficult to kill, but insecticide products sprayed must reach the underside of the foliage, requiring good pressure from your sprayer. This can be challenging for large plants with dense foliage.
Azadirachtin, insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, neem oil, or spinosad are low-toxicity products that will temporarily control lace bugs if applied thoroughly to cover the underside of leaves where adults and nymphs occur.
There are a couple of soil-applied systemic insecticides that will do a good job of controlling azalea lace bugs for most of growing season. Look for the active ingredient imidacloprid, which is found in many products labeled for tree and shrub insect control, and dinotefuran, sold as Safari. Start early in the growing season for best control results. While insecticides will not restore the damaged foliage, they can reduce or prevent further damage.
Keith Hansen is Smith County horticulturist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His web page is http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu His blog is http://agrilife.org/etg
