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Long Mountain Nursery
Spring 2007 Newsletter
| I hope we’re not the only ones who can’t believe its finally
spring. The winter started weak and ended strong. We didn’t get a lot of snow but enough for a lot of folks we know. |
We have a good supply of most varieties of azaleas so we hope a lot of you will stop by and check them out. Even though you’ve shopped here over the years you may have missed seeing some of the varieties featured in this newsletter because you came either before or after they bloomed.
Rather than give you all the news I thought I’d share an article I sent to a few of the local newspapers – basically, “if you’ve seen one azalea, you’ve seen them all.” I know you don’t feel that way, but perhaps some of your gardening friends do. If so, challenge them to look at the photo gallery on our website. They might just change their mind. |
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Your Garden Variety Shrub
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| Most folks agree that azaleas are “pretty,” but plenty of people think they’re “boring.” If you’re one of them, you’ve probably seen too many over-grown foundation plantings featuring garden-variety reds, whites, and pinks. Perhaps you don’t think the plants bloom long enough, that they grow too large, or that they lack interesting texture, leaves, and form. They may have nice blooms, but once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Right? Azaleas may be low-maintenance long-lived
shrubs but they lack character. Hold onto those thoughts but be prepared to change your mind. |
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What if you learned that many azalea varieties have attractive year-round foliage and distinctive growth habits? Some have bicolor foliage and many have beautiful fall foliage. We haven’t even mentioned their blooms yet. Oh my, the blooms! Curious? Read on. For generations, garden centers have tended to treat azaleas as generic blooming ornamentals, offering a few white, red, and pink blooming varieties. Like forsythia, azaleas could be massed to create an effect. Fine if you like walls of color, but what if you want an interesting and varied landscape? | |
| >As they’ve been doing with many other species, hybridizers have been working on azalea’s “generic” image problem. The findings are in. They’ve been incredibly successful. Some hybridizers sought hardier varieties, larger blooms, better resistance to summer heat, a greater range of colors, and more impressive blooms. Other hybridizers focused on producing smaller, more compact plants with glossy, dark green leaves. Still others wanted plants that were covered with flowers or plants that spread like ground cover, fit nicely in a rock garden setting, or made a good bonsai specimen. How about petals that unfurl like roses and carnations? Azalea hybridizers have achieved all these goals and more, creating a legacy of more than 10,000 named varieties. |
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| Many Japanese varieties have small, delicate, pastel blooms. At the other extreme, some varieties feature enormous, bold blooms four or more inches across. The petal colors range from pure white to iridescent pinks, lovely salmon to deep reds and purples, and virtually every imaginable variation in between. Lots of varieties have bicolor blooms - the center might be white and the outer edge of the petal a gorgeous orange, a vivid purple, or a light lavender color. Some varieties have blooms with randomly scattered patterns, for example, purple flecks or streaks on an otherwise solid background. Others freely “sport,” featuring two or more bloom forms on a single plant. Because there are early, midseason, and late blooming varieties, azaleas in your landscape can be blooming from early April through late June. Some of the newer varieties produce blooms all summer while a few bloom heavily in both the spring and fall. |
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If the spot you have in mind has at least partial afternoon shade, evergreen azaleas are probably your best choice. On the other hand, if your site is in full sun during the hottest part of the day, you might want to consider deciduous azaleas (plants that drop all their leaves in the fall). Many deciduous azaleas form bloom trusses (like rhododendron) and come in vivid orange and yellow not found in evergreen varieties. Some varieties feature scented blooms. Whether evergreen or deciduous, azaleas work well in both formal settings and informal ones, such as at the edge of a wooded area. |
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Where to see the widest range of azalea varieties in the DC area
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| The National Arboretum has an excellent collection of some of the older azalea varieties. McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, MD has a fine collection of shade loving plants including many azalea varieties. Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, MD has 300 varieties growing in a woodland setting. Many established neighborhoods in Washington, DC put on quite a show as well. An extensive listing of azalea varieties can be found on the Azalea Society of America website (http://www.azaleas.org). If a virtual tour tickles you fancy or is just a lot more convenient, there are plenty of Internet websites featuring excellent color photos of azalea blooms that demonstrate the impressive range of possibilities. Now that you are convinced that you need azaleas (or a few more interesting varieties) in your landscape, you’ll need to know about their care and feeding. It’s pretty simple. |  |
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Azalea care and feeding
- Because azaleas are shallow rooted, they are easy to plant and simple to move while they are young.
- Do not plant too deeply. The plant’s crown must remain above the level of the surrounding soil.
- Azaleas thrive in soil that contains an abundance of organic matter.
- The key to establishing newly planted azaleas is regular watering, especially the first year. Just make sure the area drains well, however. Azalea roots will be damaged in areas where water stands after a rain.
- Azaleas are light feeders so use only small amounts of low nitrogen fertilizer. Fertilize after the plant blooms each spring.
- Azaleas tolerate heavy pruning. If you prune, do it in June.
- Azaleas benefit from a 2” layer of mulch. It helps hold in moisture, provides a weed barrier, and keeps the plant roots cool. Do not cover the crown with mulch, however. Soil or mulch piled against the trunk will cause the plant to decline over time.
- Azaleas have only two real pests: lace bug and spider mite. Both are easily controlled with readily available pesticides.
- Pale, nearly colorless leaves normally indicate lace bug damage. The underside of distressed leaves will contain a spotty tar-like substance.
- Spider mites cause leaves to develop a bronze cast. Although mites are almost too small to spot, if you tap an infested leaf over a sheet of white paper, you will likely dislodge a few live mites. Tiny specks moving across the paper will confirm your diagnosis.
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Mountain News
As always, we invite you to visit our 500-variety azalea arboretum on the top of Long Mountain. You may see a little construction going on this year. On June 2nd, our oldest son gets married and the wedding reception will be held under tents at the entrance to the arboretum. Needless to say, we will not be open that particular weekend. We are counting on the plants to look better than ever and hope there will still be plenty of varieties blooming by the beginning of June. Come see for yourself from the middle of April until the end of May. |
| We are currently overstocked with large sized plants (21” wide and above) and have reduced their price by 25% to help convince you to find all these beauties a new home. Our prices are half or less than you would pay at most garden centers. Just remember to bring a vehicle with plenty of room. Some of these babies are big! We hope to see many of you again this spring. Bring a friend or neighbor. We feel confident they won’t be disappointed. |
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