I have a line of Formosa Azaleas that were planted by the former homeowner
just before I recently bought my house. These azaleas are presently about 3
feet tall on average but I would like them to get up to and stay at about
5 - 6 feet. My question is how do I prune them? They have a number of
leggy shoots that spike up out of the main plant and may go 2' - 3' from the
last "junction" with the only foliage being at the top. I'd like to trim
these shoots back but I don't know if you take them all the way back to the
last junction, all the way back to a leaf or bud (in the few cases where
there is a leaf or bud), or do I just cut the branch back down part way into
the plant leaving a bare stalk but assuming it will flush out from that
point? I've always thought that you cut back to a junction but if I do that
to all these leggy shoots, it seems that the plant will never get bigger as
all the growth is leggy. It seems to make more sense to partially cut back
the leggy stalks and allow them to flush out from that point, which seems to
me will keep the plant fuller. Sorry to be so wordy. Thoughts?

I dont know about the Formosa Azaleas, but the regular Azaleas are supposed
to be pruned after they finish blooming. I would imagine you could shape
the bush atthat time. Dwayne

"Berob" wrote in message
. com...
I have a line of Formosa Azaleas that were planted by the former homeowner
just before I recently bought my house. These azaleas are presently about
3
feet tall on average but I would like them to get up to and stay at about
5 - 6 feet. My question is how do I prune them? They have a number of
leggy shoots that spike up out of the main plant and may go 2' - 3' from
the
last "junction" with the only foliage being at the top. I'd like to trim
these shoots back but I don't know if you take them all the way back to
the
last junction, all the way back to a leaf or bud (in the few cases where
there is a leaf or bud), or do I just cut the branch back down part way
into
the plant leaving a bare stalk but assuming it will flush out from that
point? I've always thought that you cut back to a junction but if I do
that
to all these leggy shoots, it seems that the plant will never get bigger
as
all the growth is leggy. It seems to make more sense to partially cut
back
the leggy stalks and allow them to flush out from that point, which seems
to
me will keep the plant fuller. Sorry to be so wordy. Thoughts?

How much should they be pruned? I planted some last fall and they are about
2 feet high. They just finished blooming. I read an article that stated you
should prune them "lightly", but didn't define the term "lightly".


"Marcy Hege" wrote in message
...
My experience with azaleas (Formosa and others) is that there are dormant
leaf
buds all along the branches. When a cut is made, the branch will send out
shoots from the point of the cut and leaves will also develop along the
branch.


Azalea pruning should be done soon after bloom is completed to avoid
pruning
next season's buds.

"Ken" wrote:

How much should they be pruned? I planted some last fall and they are about
2 feet high. They just finished blooming. I read an article that stated you
should prune them "lightly", but didn't define the term "lightly".

For maximum flower production, pinch off faded flowers or the
developing seed capsules that follow [deadheading]. Pruning is seldom
needed except for removal of faded flowers, but if it is needed,
branches may be trimmed immediately after flowering. Prune in the
spring after the bloom has faded and before mid-summer. Rhododendrons
and azaleas start to form the next years flower buds in mid summer and
by fall the buds are fairly well developed. Pruning after mid summer
removes the next years flower buds. Rhododendron and azaleas may be
pruned after the flowers have faded to induce new growth. Prune out
dead, diseased or damaged branches, and in cases where plants have
become scraggly, start cutting the oldest branches back to encourage
growth in younger branches. Pruning in the fall is not recommended
since it will remove the buds for next years flowers.

The point where you prune is not critical since they have dormant buds
that will sprout from under the bark.

Most successful rhododendron gardeners do not deadhead. It is not
because they don't believe in it or that they don't want to do it, but
rather because they have so many plants and so many other more
important tasks that they don't have time to do it. Does this cause a
problem? Not really. Some plants that are reluctant to bloom or have
disease problems such as petal blight or in an area that is marginal
for the plant in question may benefit from deadheading, but that is
unusual.

A friend of mine has the most beautiful rhododendron and azalea
garden. All plants are about waist height. From any place in the
garden you can see just about every plant. During the flowering season
it is awesome. I asked him how he keeps the plants so well kept and
his reply was that he just removes the top foliage buds each year with
his fingers in the late fall or early spring. This can be done by
carefully breaking the buds off [pinching]. No pruning at all. This
technique minimizes disease and insect damage. It works very well for
him. It is labor intensive, but well worth the effort.

If necessary, you can remove a great deal of material. It is a general
rule to not remove over 1/3 of the leaf area each year. Pruning is
generally used to control unsatisfactory height or width of a plant. I
don't prune very often and try to limit pruning to plants which have a
shape that is unsatisfactory or dead branches. If I want to cut
trusses for bouquets, I always cut the tallest flowers since this
helps keep the plant within bounds.

Severe pruning is not uncommon with rhododendron and azaleas. A
healthy plant can be cut to the ground and will usually come back.
Rhododendron and azaleas have dormant buds beneath the bark which
sprout to form new growth after severe pruning. After pruning,
spraying with a fungicide may prevent infection.

Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://members.aol.com/rhodyman/rhodybooks.html

Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA