Easy Gardener • Pat Howell
	Waiting out Winter, Part 2 March, 2006

Easy Gardener extends a very hearty welcome to Susan Harris and the Takoma Horticultural Club's new website, www.takomagarden.net, and to Susan's column in the Takoma Voice and the Silver Spring Voice: "The Gardening Coach".

And thanks to Diana Kohn for her research and article in the February Voice, "The history of your home."

The Home and Garden Guide in the Voice reminds us that we are a hot-bed of people who care about our community, its history, the owner-operated businesses, and our gardens, both private and public.

Because we have time to catch up on our reading, it means we are still waiting out winter. Mother Nature is messing with us again and again--particularly, but not exclusively, us gardeners. The Snowdrops have already bloomed; other bulbs have sent up their bright green foliage, testing the air; the Winter Jasmine is blooming heartily despite the snow; the buds on nearly every shrub are fattening up. The plant catalogs tempt us into placing extravagant orders. We are in for a glorious spring!

And your azaleas are going to bloom! If you were diligent in watering your shrubs and trees last year, you will be rewarded this year. Hopefully, you left plenty of last autumn's oak leaves under your shrubs to act as a blanket, and to help keep moisture in the soil.

Azaleas are very shallow-rooted and they rely on us to give them a layer of leaves, chopped/shredded if possible, but chopping is not essential (Takoma Park's nuclear-free city mulch is excellent) or a good commercial mulch such as pine fines. If you mulched your azaleas with uncomposted hardwood bark mulch, pull it away and give it to your enemies or incorporate it (well mixed) into your compost pile. Shredded hardwood mulch used by itself (not in compost) forms a crust that is nearly impenetrable, thus resisting rain-fall or watering. When you cannot push the blade of a shovel through this crust, you will understand how impossible it is for water to get into your plants' roots!

Pine fines are not easy to find, regrettably. Meadows' Farms has them in bags, as does Hardware City on Connecticut Avenue at Knowles Street in Kensington.

According to Barbara Bullock, curator of the Azalea Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum, azaleas like the following:

· To be kept in light shade. Plant them out near the drip line of your oak trees, and you will have light shade and a natural mulch.

· To be planted correctly. Plant in a relatively shallow hole with plenty of well-amended acidic soil to counteract our native clay. (See next paragraph.) Make sure that the top of the original root ball is showing. Also, "butterfly" or cut open and separate the root ball from the bottom before it is planted.

· Soil that is acidic. If you have oak trees, you have naturally acidic soil. Incorporate decomposed leaves or compost to enrich the soil. Be careful of what is in or near your garden bed since some items, such as gravel, can leach alkaline into the soil.

· Water them when needed but keep their feet dry. This may sound a bit confusing, but bear with us. Probably the single biggest azalea killer is wet roots. These roots need to have excellent drainage, and to be in garden loam (soil with composted leaves) and sand instead of clay. Make sure the garden beds are high enough, that there is good drainage and that they are not down-stream of water run-off (such as at the bottom of a hill).

· That said, water your new azaleas well at planting time, and during the beginning of summer, water at least one inch per week (one hour under the sprinkler). Be sensitive to the weather conditions, such as a long drought, but make sure that too much water doesn't pool at their feet).

· Do not plant your azaleas under maples or elms or other shallow-rooted trees. Those trees will use water and plant food needed by the azaleas. Plus, maples are alkaline, and azaleas need an acidic environment. Once again, soil with plenty of oak tree leaf-mulch is desirable.

· Buy plants that are at least 16 inches tall and sturdy. Small plants are easily injured in winter and struggle through hot summers. Plants more than 16 inches tall cost a little more than the "3 for $10" variety. However, they are a better value.

Speaking of your beloved shrubs, Easy Gardener will be providing information on pruning azaleas in a future column. In early June, she will conduct a free Azalea Pruning Demonstration, date and location to be announced in future columns.

Pat Howell is a Takoma Park gardener and landscape designer/contractor. She is available for hand-holding and answering questions through Deephaven Landscapers.

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