More Planting in My New Azalea Grove
Developing a garden takes a lot of planning, time, and patience, but come next year, I'll have more gorgeous azaleas blooming than ever before here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Last weekend, I purchased 150 beautiful azaleas from White's Nursery in Germantown, Maryland. White’s Nursery specializes in azaleas as well as rhododendrons. All the plants are for my new azalea grove - a garden I designed along two sides of the carriage road between my Summer House and my stable. We've already planted more than 370 azaleas in this area - shades of pink, orange, crimson, yellow, and white. I just love azaleas! Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. I am so excited to see this garden mature.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Last weekend, White’s Nursery in Germantown, Maryland hosted a big Spring Open House to sell some of their plants – I am glad we didn’t miss it!
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- Look at all the gorgeous blooms. White’s Nursery has more than 350 varieties of evergreen azaleas such as Glenn Dale, Bowie Mill, Satsuki, Robin Hill and many others. In addition, they also carry a wide selection of deciduous and native azaleas such as Calendulaceum, Chop Tank, Great Balls of Fire, Lemon Drop, Red Pepper, and some fragrant varieties.
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- All of the plants are grown right on site. Owner, Mike White, and I discussed my garden needs and he helped select the best specimens.
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- We picked all the plants up in my large trailer. Here, the plants are getting a good watering before the five hour ride back to my Bedford farm.
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- Once they arrived, I placed them in the garden where they would be planted. They were organized by color and variety.
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- We placed them strategically along the carriage road – keeping like colors together and always keeping the plant’s mature size in mind. Azaleas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered light. Hot all-day sun can stress the plants and make them more susceptible to pests.
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- With so many plants to get in the ground, it is important to work quickly and efficiently. Pasang worked on digging the holes. The holes are made at least twice the size of the root ball about to be planted. Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter.
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- Then each plant is placed into its designated hole.
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- As each specimen is planted, a good handful of fertilizer is dropped into every hole and mixed with the existing soil. I always use an all-natural fertilizer to aid transplant survival and increase water and nutrient absorption.
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- Phurba uses a hori hori to scarify the roots of this specimen. A hori hori is a Japanese-inspired tool with a double-edged, rust-resistant blade that’s serrated on one side and sharpened on the other. It is great for cutting through tough roots. Scarifying stimulates root growth.
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- Then he manually breaks up the bottom of the root ball. Essentially, he breaks up small portions to loosen the roots a bit and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment.
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- Next, the plant is placed into the hole and then checked to be sure it is at the right depth.
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- Phurba ensures the best side of the plant is facing the road and then backfills the hole. Azaleas have short root systems, so they can easily be transplanted in spring or early fall.
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- Here it one all planted – and it has a lot of room to grow and spread. Some azaleas, including native types, can reach towering heights of 20 feet or more. Dwarf azaleas grow two to three feet tall, and many garden azaleas stay four to six feet in height with as wide a spread.
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- The length of azalea leaves ranges from as little as a quarter-inch to more than six inches. Leaves of most azaleas are solid green with a roughly long football-shape.
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- Some of the plants are blooming so beautifully. Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe, and North America. These plants can live for many years, and they continue to grow their entire lives.
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- This is an evergreen azalea developed by hybridizer Joe Klimavicz. This one has two-inch wide pink ruffled blooms.
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- Azalea flowers can be single, hose-in-hose, double or double hose-in-hose, depending on the number of petals. The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center. The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides.
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- Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy or ruffled. Many azaleas have two to three inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange and yellow.
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- The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom so you can see their flower colors and forms.
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- Lastly, Pasang walks to every azalea and gives it a good thorough drink. Whenever watering, be sure to focus on the root zone – it’s the roots that need access to water, not the leaves.
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- I just love how the rich bold colors of azaleas look in the gardens. All these new azaleas are great additions to this new and developing grove. As the saying goes in the plant world… “first year sleep, second year creep, and third year leap.” I can’t wait to see it this time next year!
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