In article , Janet Baraclough.
.. writes
The message
from Lynda Thornton contains these words:

Hi

We've just moved and have a large woodland type garden which is
wonderful. The thing is it's full of high hedges and large plants I
haven't really had much experience of growing, including various
rhodendendrons and possibly azaleas.

One large specimen seems to have suddenly become mildewed, it's got a
white bloom all over it, and doesn't look very well.

Some azaleas or rhododendrons naturally have a pale or whitish bloom
on the leaves. It's normal. Mildew is not very common on very large
specimens so don't worry too much. I'd do nothing until you get
confirmation, see below.

Also, what is the best way to keep a rounded shape to these bushes - I
think they've been clipped and new growth is showing on some of them,
but when is the time to cut and how much needs to come off, and above
all is it simple or complicated as I'm not very confident when it comes
to pruning!

I don't mind if the bushes get a bit larger, I just don't want them to
become straggly, overgrown and a mess.

You shouldn't really need to prune them often, other than taking out
any bits that die, break or look hideously straggly. (Many rhododendrons
are tree-like rather than rounded bushes, and have beautiful bark.)
Other than that, I strongly recommend that you don't prune anything
until you have identified it and found out when is the best time to
prune that plant and how to do it. You might have some mature and
wonderful plants in there that have taken decades to reach flowering
size, and the last thing you want is to cut off the flowering wood or
let in disease.

I suggest you join the local gardening or horticultural club asap (ask
at library), and ask if someone there with an interest knowledge and
experience of woodland plants will come and take a look with you and
give you some advice. You aren't imposing a burden, many gardeners adore
doing stuff like that and you might well find a group of enthusiasts
want to take on "identifying your garden" as a fun project. (Follow them
with labels, notebook and pen at the ready). Or, contact the previous
owner and ask their advice, or if they have a gardening friend in the
area who can help.

There isn't any rush. Gardens like that take decades to create and
won't come to any harm if you do nothing but look for a year or more.
Get yourself a large spiral bound notebook, carry it round the garden
often and write things down. Just basic stuff like "The tall narrow bush
on the left by the gate turns red in September" will do. (A Collins A4
five-year page a day desk diary is very useful; costs about £5 iirc.).
Over time, you'll build up a picture of what your garden and plants do
in different seasons, and from that, you'll eventually learn what help
they need from you.

Digital cameras are enormously useful for taking a pic for someone
else to identify plants and problems (at garden club, a nearby nursery,
or posted to a website so that people here can take a look. Don't post
pics direct to this newsgroup though). If you haven't got a
digicam..well it's not long till Christmas :-)

Janet.

Hi Janet

I just realised that I misspelt azaleas in the subject header - doh -
shows how familiar I am with them! Thanks for the advice - I might
approach my local gardening club and take some photos when the flowers
appear too, to keep a record. I won't be charging in to cut things back
don't worry - I'd rather leave them alone if they're OK, just with
autumn fast approaching I wanted to know how much I might have to do!

Thanks

Lynda