If you live in an area that is heavily populated with deer , they like to snack on encore azaleas and will eat the buds off of the plants at night. A good way to prevent this going forward is to ensure your encore azaleas are adequately hydrated all summer long. On the other hand, if the winter was too cold it could have had the same effect damaging the buds.
During the fall or winter, you should take note of any abnormally warm periods. Encore azaleas, like other plants, tend to bloom in accordance with temperature.
A warm period during the winter could trigger the plant to bloom early, which will prevent or hinder blooming during the typical blooming season to come. These include covering your encore azaleas during severely cold weather and ensuring you keep them adequately hydrated during times of extreme heat or excessively dry months. If the heat is severe, you can try a strategically placed object to provide them with some shade, such as a large umbrella. Important: You should never use aluminum sulfate when trying to lower the pH of your soil.
It is poisonous to all varieties of azalea roots and can kill them. You also want to avoid planting them near trees or in areas that will receive or retain excess water. Encore azaleas that are blooming poorly can be both frustrating and disappointing. Use hand trimmers to selectively shape your Encore Azaleas. Like all living things, Encore Azaleas must be fed. When it comes to fertilizer, there is no specific brand that we recommend. You can tell if the mix is well-balanced if the three numbers on the packaging are the same or similar.
These numbers indicate the amount of nitrogen promotes plant growth and for foliage , phosphorus promotes blooms , and potassium strengthens roots and stems. Whatever brand you choose, apply according to label instructions around the base of the shrub, and water well. Fertilize once at the beginning of each spring — after the fear of frost has passed.
You may find that this will be the only time you need to fertilize. However, if you feel you need to fertilize again, do so before August. Azaleas are sensitive to heavy fertilization. Fertilizing after August will encourage new, tender growth that can be damaged by early frost.
For an added nutrient boost you can also apply liquid fertilizer directly to the foliage and roots. Just follow label directions and use once every two weeks or so. You can find a list of retailers in your area which regularly stock Encores by visiting our website at www. Or you may decide to buy online.
If your local garden center does not currently stock Encore Azaleas, ask them to! Encores are very adaptable when it comes to sunlight. Encore Azaleas perform well in many locations — full sun, part sun and part shade. More light typically means more blooms.
The ideal planting environment provides hours of direct or filtered sunlight, with some shade during the afternoon heat. Encore Azaleas may require midday and afternoon shade in areas like the deep South, Southwest and Southern California, where sun and heat are more intense.
Some of the varieties even have foliage that deepens into contrasting colors with cooler temperatures — check out Autumn Amethyst, Autumn Princess , Autumn Sundance for a great way to provide a splash of color to your garden even during winter months. Like all azaleas, Encore Azaleas require a slightly acidic soil. For best results, I suggest contacting a local nursery or garden center, who will be more familiar with the conditions in your area, and might assist you in taking a soil sample, and make suggestions specific to your area and according to your planting needs.
All 31 varieties have been bred to have a more compact growth habit than their traditional cousins. Encore varieties can grow to between 2. View Encore Azaleas by Size to see the mature sizes for all 31 varieties.
We suggest cleaning out old leaves to allow foliage to flush out and using hand trimmers to prune off any tall shoots back inside the body of the plant. For overall shaping, we have found that trimming immediately after the spring bloom cycle is the best time. Pruning immediately after the spring bloom will limit disruption of future bloom cycles.
Pruning later in the year will remove the buds that have set for the next bloom cycle. How fast your Encore Azaleas will reach their mature size depends upon what size you start off with. Depending on where you purchase your Encores, they may be in a one-gallon nursery container, three-gallon, five-gallon, or seven-gallon. The one-gallons are the youngest plants and will take the longest to reach full size five or six years. The seven-gallons are the most mature, but will still take three or four years to reach mature height.
Fall is the best time to transplant your Encores, but this can be done in Spring, Summer, or Fall, using the same care you did when planting. Make sure to dig a big enough area to include the fibrous root system, which will have spread out some. A general guide is that the root system will be about as big under the ground as the upper plant is above ground.
You may notice that the bloom cycle may be erratic in the year following a transplant; this will correct itself as your Encores get settled into their new environment. Add an extra inch of mulch a few weeks before the first frost of the season. Change the mulch out for fresh each year after spring fertilizing. Cut the water by half about a month before the first hard frost during the first year to help the Encore azaleas harden off for winter.
Water the azaleas with 1 or 2 inches of water after the second hard freeze of the season and then stop watering until the threat of frost ends in spring. Wrap burlap around the Encore azaleas from top to bottom just before the first hard frost of the season and secure it at the top, middle and bottom with heavy twine. You can also place a tree cover over the azaleas to protect them during winter. Remove the burlap or tree cover after the fear of frost passes in spring.
Trim back Encore azalea stems as desired using bypass hand pruners right after spring flowering.
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