Azaleas are flowering shrubs that are members of
the Rhododendron genus. They are native to North America, Asia, and
Europe. Their flowers dazzle in shades of shimmering pinks and pale peaches to
deep reds and pure white. Evergreen azaleas are in the subgenus Pentanthera and deciduous azaleas
are in the subgenus Tsutsutsi.
They are generally hardy to USDA zones 6-9, though there are a few cold-hardy
varieties available as well.
You can put together collection of early-, mid-and late-season
blooming varieties and have an azalea flowering in your garden for six months
or more… and with the newer re-blooming varieties, the flowering season can
extend practically all the way through the year.
Plant them in the fall or early spring in a part-sun
location where they can attain their full size and you will never need to prune
them. They do not love to be in hot afternoon sun and prefer an acidic soil,
but basically they are low-maintenance and rewarding shrubs that can live over
100 years.
If you do wish to prune them, do so right after they finish
flowering, so you don’t cut off next year’s buds. Remove dead or damaged
branches at any time of year.
A mulch of pine bark, pine needles, or wood chips helps to
keep moisture in the ground, even out changes in the soil temperature, and
keep weeds out. Fertilize azaleas after their spring bloom using a
slow-release, acid-loving plant food and water the fertilizer in
well.
Azaleas are easily propagated from cuttings or by layering.
Species azaleas can also be grown true from seed .
Pollinators love azaleas. In particular, white-blooming
kinds attract nighttime moths and red-blooming ones attract hummingbirds.
Azaleas are long cherished as symbols of spring and
renewal. They are extremely popular landscape plants due to their brightly
colored blooms, long-lasting flowers, and their ease of cultivation. 2026 is
the Year of the Azalea and April is Azalea Month. Find out more about azaleas
at the Azalea Society of America website:https://azaleas.org/.
Azaleas
– you can grow that!
2026 is the #yearoftheazalea
And #AprilisAzaleaMonth
Benjamin Y. Morrison, the famed horticulturalist who was the
founder and first director of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, is
noted for cross-breeding different strains of azaleas to produce the Glenn Dale
cultivars, which are prevalent today throughout the eastern United States.
Morrison lived in Takoma Park, MD, and many of his Glenn Dale introductions can
be seen throughout the city’s private home gardens and public parks.
Blue Mist Shrub (Caryopteris
sp.), also known as Bluebeard or Blue Spirea is a small shrub that flowers
from late summer to early fall for several weeks. It typically blooms in shades
of blue.
It is usually between 2- to 3-feet tall. Most Caryopteris
are hardy from to USDA Zone 9 down to Zone 5 and some to Zone 4.
It blooms best in full sun and needs average garden soil
that is not heavily enriched with fertilizer or it can flop.
Carypoteris is a low-maintenance plant. In the spring,
cut it back to about 8 to 12 inches tall. It blooms on new wood so the old part
will not flower.
Caryopteris is a deciduous shrub and its flowers, leaves,
and stems give off a faint, pleasant scent that make it deer-resistant. It is
fairly heat- and drought-tolerant as well. It has no major pest or diseases.
Best of all, pollinators love it as much as you do.
The tried-and-true cultivars are ‘Dark Knight’ with
deep-blue flowers, and ‘Longwood Blue,’ which has sky-blue flowers. There are
newer, compact cultivars such ‘Petit Bleu’ and ‘First Choice’. There are also
forms with yellow or chartreuse foliage such as ‘Sunshine Blue’, ‘Worcester
Gold’, and ‘Almost Gold’
Caryopteris:You
Can Grow That!
The
video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant
Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Audio and text by Kathy Jentz
Video and editing by Eileen
Isaacson
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enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our
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Gardenia (Gardenia species) is an evergreen flowering shrub. Its beautiful blooms are usually white or yellow and have a wonderful fragrance. Its leaves are shiny and thick.
Gardenias for the garden are normally around 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, though there are some Gardenia species that can grow to 50 feet high.It is hardy to USDA zones 7 to 11.Gardenia is in the coffee family and is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar, Pacific Islands, and Australia.Gardenias prefer to grow in part sun to part shade. Ideally, situate them in morning sun and afternoon shade. They need well-draining soils that is fertile and on the acidic side. Do not let Gardenia completely dry out between waterings.Mulch them well around the root zone and prune out dead branches as needed, You can deadhead the spent blooms to encourage reflowering.Gardenia flowers throughout the summer into fall and makes a good cut flower.Use an acidic, slow-release fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants for your Gardenias. Apply the fertilizer around the root zone in spring after the last frost and again six weeks later.Plant a Gardenia where you can enjoy the scent wafting through your garden.Gardenia: You Can Grow That!The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.Audio, Videos, and Text by Kathy Jentz Editing and Additional Video Footage by Miguel Zarate➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine~ Podcast: GardenDCIf you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles: ~ Mock Orange Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/03/mock-orange-plant-profile.html~ Carolina Allspice Plant Profilehttps://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/carolina-allspice-plant-profile.html
Mock Orange (Philadelphus
coronarius) is a deciduous shrub with wonderfully fragrant white flowers in
the spring and summer. The shrub is a terrific nectar source for butterflies
and other pollinators.
Plant it in full sun for the best flowering. It prefers
soils that are well-drained and slightly acidic to neutral. This shrub hates to
sit in damp ground and usually only needs watering during periods of extended
drought.
Fertilize it by spreading a layer of compost around the root
zone in spring. A high-nitrogen fertilizer will encourage leafy growth at the
expense of the flowers, so be careful not to spread any turf-grass fertilizers
around the shrubs when fertilizing a nearby lawn.
The blooms on Mock Orange are most fragrant at night and you
should locate it where you can enjoy their wonderful scent.
It produces flowers on new wood, so prune the shrub shortly
after it finishes blooming each year. If it becomes overgrown, take out about a
third of the older stems down to the ground. You can propagate it by taking
cuttings in the summer.
It is a native to Europe and is hardy to USDA zones 4 to 8.
Mock Orange is disease- and deer-resistant.
It can grow to 10 feet tall and wide. There are dwarf and
compact cultivars available such as ‘Snowbelle’, which is about 4 feet high,
and ‘Illuminati Sparks’, which grows to about 3 feet tall.
Mock Orange:
You Can Grow That!
The
video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant
Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Video, audio, and text by Kathy Jentz
Editing by Madison Korman
➤ If you
enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our
Youtube channel (thank you!)
➤Remember
to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Mark Weathington, Director, and Tim Alderton, Research Technician, JC Raulston Arboretum, all about Mahonia. The plant profile is on Hardy Cyclamen and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Unique Basil from Christy Page of Green Prints.
Tim Alderton (left) and Mark Weathington (right) with Mahonia 'Golden Cascade'
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
Show Notes:
01:21: Introducing Mark Weathington and Tim Alderton of JC Raulston Arboretum
01:59: “Anything new going on with you personally or professionally in the last two years?” Kathy asks Mark
02:40: Was Tim born with chlorophyll in his veins and a green thumb?
04:08: Introducing JC Raulston Arboretum (https://jcra.ncsu.edu/)
05:56: “What made you choose the Mahonia topic?” Kathy asks Mark
07:07: Kathy asks Tim about the positive attributes of Mahonia
10:37: The physical attributes of Mahonia
13:52: Relations to the Barberry Family
15:20: Kathy asks for Tim’s recommendations on pruning mahonia
18:41: Is Grape Holly edible? Mahonia plant parts and uses
20:51: Mahonia deer-resistance
21:43: Tim talks about disease and pest issues in Mahonia
23:38: “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz
25:36: Mark talks about his favorite southwestern Mahonia (gracilis)
27:35: Mark and Tim talk about their favorite Asian Mahonias (gracilipes)
30:22: ‘Soft Caress’ cultivar, effects of cold temperatures on blooms (Mahonia narihira)
32:36: How much watering Mahonias need and drought-tolerance
34:10: What direction the new Mahonia coming to the market are taking…
36:59: Kathy asks Tim about rare Mahonias
38:05: Mark talks about Berberis microphylla
38:47: How JC Raulston visitors react to Mahonia
40:29: Mark and Tim give advice on Mahonia and care
43:01: How to contact Mark, Tim and JC Raulston Arboretum
44:23: Mark and Tim’s recent plant obsessions
46:42: “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight
48:06: Hardy Cyclamen Plant Profile
50:05: What's new in the garden this week?
51:31: Local gardening events in the Washington DC area
53:40: The Last Word by Christy Page: “The most unique types of Basil you’ve never tried”
58:06: How to support the GardenDC Podcast
And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
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