A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Shrubs and Trees Encore Azaleas-Help!

planted about wide variety of about 50 Encore Azaleas in October(big sale!). They all looked terrific during an exceptionally mild NJ winter until January-when we had dramatic freeze with sub-zero windchill and ice and snowstorms.Now they all look dead and shriveled up-both deciduous and evergreen. Should I have protected them better(I mulched only) during their first year in the ground? Will they recover or should I start looking for my Loew's receipts? What should I do besides waiting until April? Your advice is welcome.

wait until spring and see if they have any new growth.

if not, contact lowes...they're very good about the 1 year guarantee - even without the receipt. i just brought in a few pieces of the hydrangea and had no problem with a refund.

Even down here in sunny Mississippi I had some cold damage to some of my newly planted evergreen shrubs. Now that the weather has warmed up they are beginning to put on new growth and are looking real good (some lost all of their leaves). I'm not saying yours will all recover but there is hope. And if they recover they will be better than starting over because they have probably already begun to set down roots.

I like mine that I bought last fall.I would just enjoy them more if the dogs stayed off them.I have at least one that has less trampling.one is showing maybe one stem& the other has 2 blooms.walmart had them 75% off to make room for Christmas trees.

I can't say how they hold up to cold.coldest we got was 21 but was only below freezing for 4 hours.
wonder how Lowe's would handle mis marked plant?I bought 2 red oleander......they bloomed pink,but still want red oleander.I tried to save a buck by going with the smaller pots and not the $14 larger pot and blooming.

Sprinkle black pepper on your azaleas--if the dogs get a snootful of that they usually don't go back for seconds :) And I would take those oleanders back. If you wanted red, pink just won't do!

Hello, jimnjcil. I think you planted a liiiiitle to late for NJ and the weather did them in. Instead of planting in October, you should have done so in late August or early September. That allows the plants to get established before the ground freezes.

The main problem you will have in NJ is desiccation of the foliage when the ground freezes and sun & wind attack the leaves. What can you do? Lowe's should have selected varieties good for your zone; you can keep them well mulched with 3-4" of pine bark mulch; you can utilize windbreaks, sun shades and chemical anti-transpirants; and you can be alert for conditions that can break dormancy.

Drying winter winds and bright sun require that you protect their shallow roots with mulch (oak leaves, pine bark mulch or pine needles) and their foliage with a loose blanket of evergreen boughs or specially built screens. Such screens must provide shade without capturing heat. A burlap screen will protect a plant while a black or clear plastic bag will cook a plant. Keep the mulch away from the trunk of the plant. This avoids bark split, fungus and rodent damage.

Chemical antitranspirants can be used to protect the pores through which the leaves loose moisture. However, they must be designed to naturally degrade so they don't interfere with the normal operation of the pores during the growing season. This usually means the antitranspirants need to be applied at least twice during the winter, but not too close to the growing season.

Dormancy is a normal process in which the plant goes into rest during the winter and it allows the plant to survive. Dormancy is caused by short days, low temperatures and drought. But several things can break or prevent it: fertilizer applied after July can keep the plant growing when it should be going into dormancy (note: you should not have to fertilize azaleas unless growing in pots or in soil with low nutrients); warm weather during winter can break dormancy; a warm fall followed by a sudden chilly weather will expose your azaleas to cold before they are dormant.

For more information, please refer to the Azalea Society of America's Website at http://www.azaleas.org/index.html or to the Tappan Zee Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society in NJ at http://www.tappanzee.org

Does that help you, jimnjcil?
Luis