When to Prune Azaleas

pruning azaleas

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Right now you are happily enjoying the beautiful, vibrant blooms of your azaleas.  As spring hits its stride, these plants are the shining spot of many yards.  Though they seem perfectly content now, it’s important to begin planning ahead for when it’s time to groom your azaleas.  As we move into summer and the heat eventually takes its toll on the lovely flowers, it will be time to do some pruning.

Some experts will suggest a specific month of the year to prune your azaleas, but this can vary drastically based on many factors such as climate, type of azaleas and age of the plant.  Therefore, the best practice is to prune once the blooms have fallen off.

There are two reasons for pruning azaleas; health of the plant and overgrowth. If you are just doing a regular maintenance pruning, trim back the small single branches to the point where they connect to the off shooting branch.  If your azaleas have grown beyond the space you have provided for them and are blocking windows or overtaking other flowers, you should consider a more dramatic approach to keep your yard looking neat and well groomed.

While this may not be the case for commercial or business azalea grooming, when maintaining these plants at home, it is not necessary to try and shape these plants.  As long as you have the room, allowing these plants to flourish and spread naturally will provide the most aesthetically appealing lawn.  This also promotes the best growth because water and air are given the space they need to help the plant grow.

After you’ve pruned your azaleas, they will be ready to sprout a new round of buds. Therefore, it is especially important to keep up good maintenance and watering during this time so that you can enjoy these beautiful plants for another season.