Planting More Azaleas Around My Pond

May 28, 2025

More bright and colorful azaleas now surround my newly refurbished pond and I can't wait to see them bloom in the coming years.

Over the weekend, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew planted another 80 beautiful orange and yellow azaleas in the area surrounding my pond. I hope you caught a glimpse of them on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. All the azaleas are from Summer Hill Nursery - a wholesale-only company in Madison, Connecticut. Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. These plants are sure to flourish here and look stunning every time they're in bloom.

Enjoy these photos.

: The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom, so one can see their bright colors and forms. When buying azaleas, always select plants that are sturdy, well-branched, and free of insect damage or diseases. And, avoid plants with weak, spindling growth and poor root systems.

: Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron. These azaleas will get lots of filtered sunlight throughout the day here at the pond.

: 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. Azalea petal shapes range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy, or ruffled.

: Around my newly refurbished pond, I wanted to plant different shades of orange and green.

: Among these newest azaleas is this Azalea ‘Lemon Twist’ with its bright yellow-gold flowers.

: Azalea Exbury ‘Gibraltar’ displays large two-and-a-half inch flowers that are a striking copper-orange color. This deciduous azalea is hardy, fragrant, and easy to maintain.

: ‘Arneson Gem’ is compact and only grows up to three-feet tall when mature. It is strong, fragrant and brightens up the garden with its light orange to golden yellow blooms.

: Similar in color is the ‘George Reynolds’ Azalea, a broadleaf deciduous shrub with green foliage and light orange to yellow flowers. Azaleas are great pollinators and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

: And this is Azalea ‘Sea Breeze’ with trusses of lemon gold blossoms. It will grow five to eight feet tall and blooms in late spring to early summer.

: Azalea leaves are bluish-green and tend to be thinner, softer, smaller and more pointed than rhododendron leaves. The length of azalea leaves ranges from as little as a quarter-inch to more than six inches.

: When planting, dig a hole at least twice the size of the plant. Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter.

: I feed with Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Plant Food – a dependable fertilizer that feeds for up to three months.

: Always scarify before putting into the ground. Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, one breaks up small portions of the root ball to loosen the roots a bit and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment.

: Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.

: 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.

: My gardeners and I always keep track of those varieties that do well in the garden, so we know what kinds we can add again.

: It’s also important to keep azaleas where they can be protected from midday and winter sun to prevent leaves from drying out and burning.

: Here is a view of one side of the pond where one can see a combination of different azaleas. They will fill in the area so beautifully in the coming years.