Help. Someone bought me an azalea for my birthday.

I never have indoor plants/flower presents usually, as most people know
I don't like plants or flowers indoors.

However I did get this azalea and this blinking thing is now losing all
its leaves and yet I followed the instructions to the letter. I put it
on a north facing cool window sill, on a dish of pebbles, kept the
water topped up in this (not too high!) fed it a week solution of acid
loving stuff every Saturday and this is how it repays me. The leaves are
falling off by the shrub-load every time I move it to check.
Can I save it at all?
It's been grown like a small tree, i.e. has a clear stem of about 6-9
inches.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Help. Someone bought me an azalea for my birthday.

I never have indoor plants/flower presents usually, as most people
know
I don't like plants or flowers indoors.

However I did get this azalea and this blinking thing is now losing
all
its leaves and yet I followed the instructions to the letter. I put it
on a north facing cool window sill, on a dish of pebbles, kept the
water topped up in this (not too high!) fed it a week solution of acid
loving stuff every Saturday and this is how it repays me. The leaves
are
falling off by the shrub-load every time I move it to check.
Can I save it at all?
It's been grown like a small tree, i.e. has a clear stem of about 6-9
inches.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Are you able to say what the temperature would be on that widow sill in
the daytime and then at about 2am. I ask that because I think is has
subsided due to the fairly severe temperature changes, aggravated by the
cold draught from the window in the early hours. It is so difficult to
replicate the conditions to which it was accustomed; hence its demise.

In article ,
says...
Help. Someone bought me an azalea for my birthday.

I never have indoor plants/flower presents usually, as most people know
I don't like plants or flowers indoors.

However I did get this azalea and this blinking thing is now losing all
its leaves and yet I followed the instructions to the letter. I put it
on a north facing cool window sill, on a dish of pebbles, kept the
water topped up in this (not too high!) fed it a week solution of acid
loving stuff every Saturday and this is how it repays me. The leaves are
falling off by the shrub-load every time I move it to check.
Can I save it at all?
It's been grown like a small tree, i.e. has a clear stem of about 6-9
inches.

I would think its struggling to cope with the temperature extremes, the
only time I managed to grow and flower one for a few years it lived down
the cooler end of an unheated conservatory, so in the winter when it was
flowering average temperatures would be a lot lower than your house. But
then there is the fact it has been moved from one set of conditions to
another and may just be objecting to that.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

I would think its struggling to cope with the temperature extremes, the
only time I managed to grow and flower one for a few years it lived down
the cooler end of an unheated conservatory, so in the winter when it was
flowering average temperatures would be a lot lower than your house. But
then there is the fact it has been moved from one set of conditions to
another and may just be objecting to that.

It flowered pretty well for 4 weeks but it's been the last two weeks as
the flowers are dying that the leaves are falling off. I don't have a
radiator in the kitchen and often open the window a little but I suppose
that's warmer than the garden centre where it was kept.
How do I save it Charlie?


Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article ,
says...
In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

I would think its struggling to cope with the temperature extremes, the
only time I managed to grow and flower one for a few years it lived down
the cooler end of an unheated conservatory, so in the winter when it was
flowering average temperatures would be a lot lower than your house. But
then there is the fact it has been moved from one set of conditions to
another and may just be objecting to that.

It flowered pretty well for 4 weeks but it's been the last two weeks as
the flowers are dying that the leaves are falling off. I don't have a
radiator in the kitchen and often open the window a little but I suppose
that's warmer than the garden centre where it was kept.
How do I save it Charlie?


Janet

So long as you accept that my track record for killing these is bad!
pop it outside on mild days, and at night bring it to your side of the
curtains (unless you are Double glazed when it won't make as much
difference) It can get pretty cold next to the glass once the curtains
are drawn.
I presume your tap water is not hard and if it is you are not using it?
Aim for cool 4c+, not fluctuating to much temperatures and just moist not
wet compost.
My books all agree that they should only be inside while in flower
(temperature of around 15c while in bud and flower)the rest of the winter
they go out into a greenhouse or coldframe.
I lost mine due to Vine Weavil back in the days before the nursery and
therefore before I knew anything about them, so it may be worth checking
the roots are ok, no white grubs and no signs of rot.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes


So long as you accept that my track record for killing these is bad!
pop it outside on mild days, and at night bring it to your side of the
curtains (unless you are Double glazed when it won't make as much
difference)

Double glazed but no curtain as not overlooked!

.
I presume your tap water is not hard and if it is you are not using it?

Taking it from water barrel but leaving it till it gets to room
temperature.


My books all agree that they should only be inside while in flower
(temperature of around 15c while in bud and flower)the rest of the winter
they go out into a greenhouse or coldframe.

Oh I could put it in the greenhouse, that's just above freezing but I
have a large heated deep sand propagator bench and a long hot plate type
thing. So could turn the temperature down a bit and put it there.


I lost mine due to Vine Weavil back in the days before the nursery and
therefore before I knew anything about them, so it may be worth checking
the roots are ok, no white grubs and no signs of rot.

Oh well you surely need a new one then Charlie.? You can have mine, it's
just confirming my antipathy towards plants in the house


Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 8 Jan, 18:14, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Help. Someone bought me an azalea for my birthday.

I never have indoor plants/flower presents usually, as most people know
I don't like plants or flowers indoors.

However I did get this azalea and this blinking thing is now losing all
its leaves and yet I followed the instructions to the letter. I put it
on a north facing cool window sill, *on a dish of pebbles, kept the
water topped up in this (not too high!) fed it a week solution of acid
loving stuff every Saturday and this is how it repays me. The leaves are
falling off by the shrub-load every time I move it to check.
Can I save it at all?
It's been grown like a small tree, i.e. has a clear stem of about 6-9
inches.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Sounds like overwatering and feeding. When I was working I would let
them get a bit dry - feel the weight, then dunk them until the bubbles
stop, then they don't get any more until they've nearly dried again. I
didn't feed 'til they went into the shade house and started growing
again. Lime free water (rain water or fridge water) of course. Some
leaves always fall off in the house but once you see really
substantial leaf loss the plant is usually beyond help - sorry.
I always lost a few of the small newly bought ones each year but any
that survived were then usually OK in subsequent years.

In article ,
says...
In article , Charlie
Pridham writes


Oh well you surely need a new one then Charlie.? You can have mine, it's
just confirming my antipathy towards plants in the house


Janet


No thanks it was the deal when we bought this place, all plants to leave
the house and go in the conservatory, lost a few due to the lack of heat,
and have added many more but azaleas and Rhodos don't do it for me. At
the moment we have in flower 4 different Jasmines, Lapageria,
hardenbergia, Salvia gaurantica Black and Blue, Acacia fimbriata,
Bougainvillea, many and various pelargoniums, Mandevilla boliviensis,
Scilla madeiriensis, Clerodenrum ugandense,
Not bad considering its been below zero on several occassions this
winter! While in the house we have 2 black shriveled poinsettias someone
gave us! We are absolutly hopeless with house plants (not much better
with veg)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

At
the moment we have in flower 4 different Jasmines, Lapageria,
hardenbergia, Salvia gaurantica Black and Blue, Acacia fimbriata,
Bougainvillea, many and various pelargoniums, Mandevilla boliviensis,
Scilla madeiriensis, Clerodenrum ugandense,

I had the salvia some time ago but lost it during the winter, I love the
colour. I kept it in the garden but had it in the cold greenhouse for 1
winter and it promptly died never to be seen again !




Not bad considering its been below zero on several occassions this
winter! While in the house we have 2 black shriveled poinsettias someone
gave us! We are absolutly hopeless with house plants (not much better
with veg)

I'm terrible with houseplants but I don't like even cut flowers, it
makes me think of funerals and I hate to see plants that have been cut
and die, even if the plant they were on is still alive

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article
, Rod
writes

Sounds like overwatering and feeding. When I was working I would let
them get a bit dry - feel the weight, then dunk them until the bubbles
stop, then they don't get any more until they've nearly dried again. I
didn't feed 'til they went into the shade house and started growing
again. Lime free water (rain water or fridge water) of course. Some
leaves always fall off in the house but once you see really
substantial leaf loss the plant is usually beyond help - sorry.
I always lost a few of the small newly bought ones each year but any
that survived were then usually OK in subsequent years.


Oh dear, it's on its way out then ...
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 9 Jan, 22:50, Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

At
the moment we have in flower 4 different Jasmines, Lapageria,
hardenbergia, Salvia gaurantica Black and Blue, Acacia fimbriata,
Bougainvillea, many and various pelargoniums, Mandevilla boliviensis,
Scilla madeiriensis, Clerodenrum ugandense,

I had the salvia some time ago but lost it during the winter, I love the
colour. I kept it in the garden but had it in the cold greenhouse for 1
winter and it promptly died never to be seen again !

Not bad considering its been below zero on several occassions this
winter! While in the house we have 2 black shriveled poinsettias someone
gave us! We are absolutly hopeless with house plants (not much better
with veg)

I'm terrible with houseplants but I don't like even cut flowers, it
makes me think of funerals and I hate to see plants that have been cut
and die, even if the plant they were on is still alive

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraphhttp://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

For most of my working life part of my job was trying to slow the
inevitable demise of pot plants in a big dark hot country house - I
never did like that very much. I grew very good pot plants and was
then extremely reluctant to take them into the 'Big House' to die ;~{