Growing Giant Pumpkins

Pumpkin growers all want to grow a giant pumpkin, at least once. Whether you’re looking to break the current world record pumpkin weight of 1,689 pounds, or just see how big of a jack-o-lantern you can make this Halloween, growing a giant pumpkin is definitely an exciting obsession!

First, you have to purchase some Atlantic Giant Pumpkin seeds. This pumpkin is known to grow the biggest of any variety. Plant them in early spring when the chance of frost has past. Build up a mound about three feet across and a foot high. Plant your seed in the center. Pumpkins need a lot of sun and a lot of water. This is especially true of giant pumpkins. Dig out a three or four inch deep trench around the bottom of the mound to hold extra water where the roots can reach it.

When your pumpkin vines start to travel, build the mound out even further. You may want to put a series of concentric ring trenches for water so that all of the root systems get plenty of water. As vines travel, bury them in the soil about every foot. This will encourage them to take root from the vines and suck up more water and more nutrients than they ever could from one central root system. This is one of the giant pumpkin grower’s big secrets. You can wrap a little bit of newspaper around the vine, just where it enters and just where it exits the dirt to keep pests like ants from crawling up. Don’t wrap it too tight. When your pumpkin starts getting big, you can slide a piece of cardboard underneath it to keep pests from entering it.

Measure your pumpkin about once a week to see if it is still growing. When it is done, it will be at full color and hardened. Leave the pumpkin on the vine as long as possible. Many pumpkins will be ready for harvest around August or September. Use a sharp knife to cut the stem when it’s ready. So, what if you want to store your pumpkin until a contest date, Halloween or Thanksgiving?

Take these measures to ensure that your giant pumpkin doesn’t rot. First, wash it with one gallon of water mixed with a cup of chlorine. Many people simply wash their pumpkins in the pool. This will kill off bacteria that may be trying to make its way into your pumpkin. Let it dry completely before storing it. Then, place it on a board or cardboard, not concrete, and store in a cool, dry, dark place, like under your house, in a closet or in the garage. You really want to keep it around seventy degrees or less without freezing.

Remember to water, water, water. Serious giant pumpkin growers keep their pumpkins watered with a programmable automatic hose reel. This way, the pumpkin gets water, even if they are not at home, and the hose puts itself away when it’s done. With enough water, proper storage, vine burying and proper care, you could grow the pumpkin of your dreams! Good luck beating that record!

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Starting Your Own Community Garden

The concept of the community garden has been around for many years. And now the idea is growing once again. In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 10,000 community gardens in operation. Why? It seems to be a perfect solution for those who want to grow their own food, organically or otherwise, yet don’t have the land to do it.

How do community gardens work? The basic philosophy is that residents share the responsibility of the management and maintenance of one large garden. In cities where people typically don’t have the land to garden, it gives them the opportunity to jointly work with others on a common piece of ground.

Sound intriguing? If so, there are many ways to start a community garden in your neighborhood.

First, call together a meeting and work on creating a plan before starting the actual ‘gardening.’ Laying out the foundation of why you are creating a community garden and the basic tenants to follow for all those involved. This helps make everything clear and clean up front. For example, there are many details to be dealt with in gardening such as who will tend to the costs, the work, the decisions themselves? Who will lead the group? How will money raised if needed? What is your purpose, long and short-term objectives?

Next, you will want to pick a piece of land or a site. Considerations in picking the site should include:

• Light – Six hours of sunlight is almost always necessary for most plants. If your site is receiving a lot of shade from nearby trees or buildings, you may want to search for another site that is getting direct sun.
• Drainage – Observe your potential site after a rainstorm to make sure the water isn’t standing and that it either drains or seeps into the ground. This is called drainage and there are sites that have terrible drainage due to location or even soil that has too much clay. Many plants cannot tolerate very wet soils for a prolonged amount of time.
• Slope – Too much drainage, such as gardening on a steep slope isn’t good either. Look for land that is as level as possible. If you have to build on a slope, design beds or terraces that run across the slope.
• Surrounding Vegetation – Plants fight for water and sites with too many weeds nearby can cast their seeds constantly into your garden area. Ideally, and I say ideally as it is almost impossible to find a site without surrounding vegetation, you should look for a site without a lot of trees or heavy weeding – and most importantly, a site that may include the clearing of plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, or stinging nettles. Yikes!
• Exposure – Okay, so I have told you to pick a site with at least six hours of sunlight and without surrounding trees – this often leaves one with a whole lot of wind and sun, which means, you are then in danger of over-exposure. If you are in an area that receives high winds, which can rob soil of moisture, erode topsoil, and damage delicate plants – just be aware of that and try to meet the conditions the best you can. Don’t let your soil get too dried out, water more frequently with a slow deep watering that will penetrate the ground and hopefully this too will keep the dust down.
• Water – Speaking of water, yes, you will need to plant near a water source, whether it be a spicket off of a well or some place that has irrigation. You are going to need a lot of water and you certainly don’t want to be hauling it from somewhere else.
• Wildlife – In Arizona we have javelina and deer that infest our gardens – every state has its wildlife that can present a problem for tasty vegetables. To protect your site from these hungry critters, you will need to build fence and yes that can be expensive. This is why you need to preorganize your community garden beforehand in order to predetermine how these details will be dealt with.
• Ownership – No, you can’t just plant your garden any ole place – somebody will have ownership of the land and determining whether your organization can buy the land or rent it is of course important. Small detail, but critical.

Don’t be intimidated by the amount of work that goes into preplanning your community garden. Once much of the groundwork is laid, the everyday details will flow smoothly. In Part 2 of Starting Your Own Community Garden, I will discuss Preparing Your Garden Site and Organizing It. And finally, in Part 3, Assigning Work and Taking Care of Maintenance of your Community Garden.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Mid-Summer Gardening Tips

Gardening in the spring is exciting and new. But, as the summer heat kicks in and the rains subside, summer gardening must begin. Some of your flowers are probably looking weak. Your garden may be looking dry and famished. Weeds have taken hold and many blooms have already seeded and died.

Do not neglect your garden at this crucial time. Clear out the dead debris. Some flowers can be deadheaded at this time and show more blooms before summer is over. Cut back roses down to the first leaf to encourage new clusters to come in before fall. Slumping stalks and browning flowers can be removed to promote new growth. Seeding takes many valuable nutrients, so removing dying flowers can reserve these precious nutrients for new blooms.

Vegetables need to be picked as well. Even if you do not plan on eating a veggie that did not quite turn out right or that got destroyed by insects, pick it anyway. It will deprive the plant of nutrients and water and can even prevent the plant from producing more vegetables. Pick vegetables as soon as they are ripe to avoid stunting the production of what you have left.

Add a layer of compost or peat moss to give your garden a mid-summer boost. Remove any weeds that have sprouted before they get a chance to seed. You can avoid breaking off roots by heavily watering the garden before you weed. If you do not want to get muddy, then use a small spade to weed. Dig deep enough to remove as much of the weed as possible.

This is the time when many plants get ravaged by pests. Japanese beetles, rabbits, slugs, potato beetles and more can chew up a lot of your foliage. These pests can eat up your vegetables or at least make your plants unsightly.

Try some natural pest control before resorting to chemical pesticides. Beer traps are a popular way of controlling slugs. Human hair mixed into the top layer of soil will keep rabbits out and also compost well. Potato beetles can be deterred by planting jalapeno peppers or horseradish between your potatoes. You can also cover the ground around the potato plants with hay, or encourage spiders and ladybugs to live around potato plants.

If you have Japanese beetles, you may have to battle them for a few years to get rid of them. Spread milky spore, or bacillus papillae all over your yard. The grubs will ingest the bacterium and die. Over the next couple of years, more grubs will ingest the bacterium and help spread the milky spore. Traps and other methods can sometimes attract more Japanese beetles without trapping them.

After removing dead flowers and withering limbs, clearing out weeds and combating pests, make sure that you water your garden often. Use a hose reel to make watering your garden an easy chore that you will not dread, even in the summer heat.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Going Green! Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is all the rage and for good reason. Risks to pets, people and the environment are just beginning to be understood. Becoming an organic farmer takes a little planning. Typical garden problems need to be proactively managed as opposed to correcting them after they happen.

Pesticides and toxic chemicals can build up in your system or have long-term effects on your health. Pesticide exposure has been linked to nerve damage, cancer and birth defects.

Children and infants are at a dramatically increased risk for damage done by chemicals and pesticides. Children have excretory systems that are still developing. This means that they are less able to rid their bodies of chemicals consumed. Chemical damage can alter the biology of their bodies permanently, causing all sorts of problems. Developing organs and tissues can suffer when chemicals block absorption of nutrients.

Needless to say, avoiding chemicals and pesticides in your garden is a good step towards protecting the health and well being of yourself and your family.

To grow an organic garden, you need to anticipate problems that you may encounter. Keep a garden diary to document problems that you encounter and treatments that were effective for you. This way, you can adjust your planting patterns and types of plants each year. Many people find that it takes a bit of research to really have a successful organic garden.

If you have had a garden in your area before, you probably already know what to expect. For example, you may be able to predict that your garden will get fire ants and rabbits will make themselves at home. If you already know what you will be up against, preventing problems will be easier. Talk to your neighbors if you are not sure.

Prevention is key. You really do not have to worry about many bugs. Nature has a good balance of its own and over ninety percent of bugs will not harm your plants. Simple organic solutions can help you keep bugs and animals that you do not want out of your garden.

For example, human hair spread around the garden will keep out rabbits. Lavender and basil deter ants. Rosemary will repel mosquitoes. The way that you arrange your plants can help protect certain vegetables, too. Garlic and peppers planted around tomatoes and squash will help protect them from harmful insects and rodents.

Finding the right balance of beneficial bugs and plants may take a little time and effort, but the fruits of your labor will be well worth it. Once you have the right combination of plants, caring for your organic garden is as simple as watering. Keep your garden hose on a hose reel for quick and easy access. You will love your organic garden and how easy it is to take care of.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Is it Too Late to Plant?

Heavy rains may have delayed the planting of your garden this year. Many people are wondering if planting a garden now may be a futile task. It is true that some plants produce better if planted in the earliest days of spring, but not all need to be planted so early.

Many avid gardeners say that you should start your plants from seed. Sprouting your seedlings in a controlled environment can help you reduce the chances of introducing certain diseases into your garden. Wilt, club rot and other root disorders can be harbored in the soil of plants that you buy at your nursery. Sprouting your seeds indoors also helps you to control the environment. You will not have to worry about too much rain or soil temperature.

Onions, peas and peppers planted earlier in the season produce more. If you are getting a late start on these vegetables, you may consider using more mature plants from your nursery. If you are worried about diseases, use a garden box or a small corner of your garden to plant these. Water the soil with boiling water to kill microorganisms a day or so before you plant. If you do notice disease, remove the plant and the soil. Fill with peat moss or soil from your nursery to avoid further problems.

Tomatoes, eggplant and greens grow better when planted later in the season. The soil needs to be very warm and well drained for these vegetables to thrive. If the heavy rains have drenched your garden, consider building up a box garden. They drain very well and the soil stays warmer, helping these vegetables grow and produce. The soil in a box garden is also generally loose allowing roots to spread and absorb more oxygen. Use a layer of landscaping fabric under your box garden to avoid grass, weeds and soil diseases from creeping into your garden. Weeds and competing grasses can steal nutrients and water from your vegetables.

Temperature and your growing zone may help determine which vegetables you want to put out in a late planting. Onions and lettuce are really the ones that must be planted early. They can withstand lower temperatures than any other vegetables, down to thirty five degrees Fahrenheit. But, they generally cannot take the summer heat, especially in warmer climates. They will generally wilt or die at above eighty five degrees. Beets, carrots and cauliflower can withstand down to forty degrees, but they can take the hotter summer temperatures of up to one hundred degrees, so they still may do well in a late planting. Most beans, beets, cabbage, carrots and cucumbers do better when planted later, anyway. They need very warm soil to survive.

Once you have planted, keep the soil moist but well drained. Use a garden hose reel to keep your hose close at hand for frequent watering. Watch for soil crusting or extreme dryness. In a box garden, the drainage can save your plants from drowning, but it will need more water than a garden planted directly in the ground. Planting late can mean that you have to wait a little longer than your neighbors to harvest, but it does not mean that you cannot enjoy fresh vegetables from your garden this summer.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Crop Rotation in your Home Garden

Moving your garden to different spots in your yard from year to year can be beneficial. You can prevent disease, help your crops to produce and even help prevent insect infestation in your garden. Learn how to rotate your vegetables so that your soil continues to help you grow great vegetables every year.

Using peat moss in your garden is one way to help the soil stay healthy. If you do not have the space to move your garden each year, then using peat moss can really help you extend the life of the soil. Also, remember not to plant your vegetables in the same spot as the year before. Keep a chart of where you planted each thing so that you can be sure you do not use the same spot for the same plant twice in a row.

Different vegetables use up different nutrients in the soil. For example, parsley, potatoes, spinach and corn can pull a lot of magnesium from the soil. In order for these plants to properly produce, they should be rotated to a new place in the garden each year. Tomatoes are especially important to rotate. They pull more nutrients from the soil than just about any other commonly grown vegetable. If the same soil is used over and over, your tomatoes will begin to contract diseases or simply not produce.

Planting and rotating your crops in a certain order can also help to naturally repel insects. Most insects do not like the stronger smelling vegetables. Plant onions, garlic, dill and rosemary between your other crops. The smell will help keep insects away and these plants are small and will not shade your larger vegetables. If you are not interested in growing these vegetables, consider boiling garlic cloves and using the water to spray on the leaves of your plants. This method has been found to be very effective in repelling almost all kinds of common garden insects.

If you do not want to move your garden every year, consider a raised box garden. You can add bagged soil, cow manure and peat moss each year to maintain nutrients and the acidity necessary for abundant vegetable growth. Remember that a box garden, or container garden, may need more water than a garden planted directly in the ground. Keep a garden hose reel handy so that you can easily and quickly water your garden in the summer heat. With a plan in mind, you can produce healthy, nutrient-packed vegetables year after year.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Natural Pest Control in Your Garden

Many people are interested in eliminating the use of chemicals and pesticides in their gardens. We just don’t want our families and pets exposed to so many potentially hazardous toxins anymore. So, this brings up the question, “How do I control insects that can destroy my crops without the use of chemicals?”

Who knew that the answer could be “more insects”? Many insects prey on the ones that eat our vegetables. To attract these insects to your garden, you will need to grow plants that attract the predatory insects. For example, ladybugs eat aphids. When trying to attract ladybugs to your garden, plant dill or Queen Anne’s lace. Pirate bugs also eat aphids. You can provide a habitat and food source for them by planting sunflowers near your garden. Parsley attracts bugs that prey on moths, beetles and flies.

Another option is to grow plants that repel insects. For your own comfort, you may decide to plant marigolds, catnip or citronella grass to repel mosquitoes. Marigolds are also effective at repelling many different plant-eating insects. Garlic repels many common pests, such as Japanese beetles, aphids and other beetles that can destroy a vegetable garden.

Insects are not the only pests that you may need to control. Rabbits are a big problem in many areas of the United States. You can put up a fence, but make sure that it is buried a few inches in the ground. Rabbits can squeeze or dig under fences fairly easily. They are less likely to climb into built-up box gardens. Just to be safe, there are a few natural ways to repel rabbits.

Rabbits love clover more than anything. If there is clover around, they will not go near vegetables. So, forget about keeping your lawn manicured and free of clover and it just may control your rabbit problem. If you don’t have clover around, you may want to try another method. Some gardeners have reported success by using hot sauce or red pepper around the garden or even around each plant. Some use vinegar. To use vinegar, soak mulch in it for about an hour and spread it around your garden. The only problem with this is that the vinegar will wear off after a few days of watering, rain or sun exposure. Some people have even used the hair from their brushes or clippings from a salon to deter rabbits. I say, if it’s natural and doesn’t hurt your garden, your family or the rabbits, it’s worth a try.

Taking care of your garden can be a joyful experience. Knowing that you are giving your family the healthiest veggies around is just an added bonus. Keep your garden nice by using a garden hose reel for your water hose. Hopefully you will get to enjoy your vegetables more than the rabbits or insects will.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Natural Pest Control in Your Garden

Many people are interested in eliminating the use of chemicals and pesticides in their gardens. We just don’t want our families and pets exposed to so many potentially hazardous toxins anymore. So, this brings up the question, “How do I control insects that can destroy my crops without the use of chemicals?”

Who knew that the answer could be “more insects”? Many insects prey on the ones that eat our vegetables. To attract these insects to your garden, you will need to grow plants that attract the predatory insects. For example, ladybugs eat aphids. When trying to attract ladybugs to your garden, plant dill or Queen Anne’s lace. Pirate bugs also eat aphids. You can provide a habitat and food source for them by planting sunflowers near your garden. Parsley attracts bugs that prey on moths, beetles and flies.

Another option is to grow plants that repel insects. For your own comfort, you may decide to plant marigolds, catnip or citronella grass to repel mosquitoes. Marigolds are also effective at repelling many different plant-eating insects. Garlic repels many common pests, such as Japanese beetles, aphids and other beetles that can destroy a vegetable garden.

Insects are not the only pests that you may need to control. Rabbits are a big problem in many areas of the United States. You can put up a fence, but make sure that it is buried a few inches in the ground. Rabbits can squeeze or dig under fences fairly easily. They are less likely to climb into built-up box gardens. Just to be safe, there are a few natural ways to repel rabbits.

Rabbits love clover more than anything. If there is clover around, they will not go near vegetables. So, forget about keeping your lawn manicured and free of clover and it just may control your rabbit problem. If you don’t have clover around, you may want to try another method. Some gardeners have reported success by using hot sauce or red pepper around the garden or even around each plant. Some use vinegar. To use vinegar, soak mulch in it for about an hour and spread it around your garden. The only problem with this is that the vinegar will wear off after a few days of watering, rain or sun exposure. Some people have even used the hair from their brushes or clippings from a salon to deter rabbits. I say, if it’s natural and doesn’t hurt your garden, your family or the rabbits, it’s worth a try.

Taking care of your garden can be a joyful experience. Knowing that you are giving your family the healthiest veggies around is just an added bonus. Keep your garden nice by using a garden hose reel for your water hose. Hopefully you will get to enjoy your vegetables more than the rabbits or insects will.


About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Building a Box Garden

It’s that time of year again! If you’re like me, you are excited to plant your vegetable garden. The box garden is a popular option because it makes the most of a small space. Plus you don’t have to till up the ground or do any really hard work.

Building the box is simple and cheap. Of course, you could go all out and use expensive wood or build a structure capable of withstanding a flood, but it really is not necessary for the classic box garden. Box gardens are very popular in Japan because they are nice, neat and create a lot of vegetables in a small space.

The secret is that the dirt inside never gets stepped on. It’s nice and loose, allowing roots to penetrate really deep. Plants grow stronger, bigger and produce more vegetables when they are planted up off of the ground like this. You can also place plants closer together and squeeze more in.

To construct your own for practically nothing, buy landscaping timbers. They top out at about three dollars each. You’ll need to stack them two high. The box needs to be a rectangle no more than four feet across. This will allow you to reach the center without ever stepping on the dirt. Make it as long as you would like. I use four 8’ landscaping timbers for each side and two 4’ timbers for each end. I hammer stakes in the ground along the outside to keep the walls from toppling over.

Once your box is in place, fill it up with bags of soil. Check the bag to see how many you need. A normal small bag will fill one cubic foot of space, so for a 16’ long box like mine, I used about 30 bags. You only need the dirt to be about eight inches deep for vegetables. You may want to work in some cow manure, peat moss or other types of soil. Once you have it filled, you can use it for many years. I recommend refreshing the soil yearly with peat moss and new dirt so that your garden doesn’t become low on nutrients.

Now you are ready to plant. Water the new garden thoroughly to see how much it is going to settle. You may decide to add more soil at this point. With a shovel or just your hands, dig out rows short-ways across the box. Each row should be four feet long. Plant your vegetables according to each plant’s directions. But remember, because you are using a box, you can plant closer together than the directions might say. For example, tomato plants normally need to be 18” apart. In a box garden, you can plant them as close as 9” apart. Plus you’ll enjoy more tomatoes from each plant.

You will want to keep your garden hose reel close by for frequent watering because a box garden can dry out more quickly than one located on the ground. Don’t water tomatoes too much or they will lose precious vitamins and turn out whitish and grainy inside. Just a little tip from one tomato fan to another!

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Beautiful Roses: Gardening and Growing Tips

Roses have long since been recognized as a symbol of beauty. Their reputation of fragrance and color are unsurpassed by any other flower. If you are interested in planting roses in your garden, you may be interested in these special growing tips. Follow these simple steps and you will be on your way to a gorgeous rose garden that you will enjoy for years to come.

Any nursery should have a lot of options for you when you are choosing your roses. Some roses are climbing vines and some are more like bushes, so keep your location in mind when selecting your breed. Roses need a lot of sunlight, around six hours per day, so choose an area that gets a lot of direct sun.

Many people make their rose choices based on appearance. There are many different colors and sizes of blooms to choose from. In general, large blossoms will have little or no scent. Smaller blooms will usually have a more intense aroma. There are so many types of rose bushes that you should be able to choose the color and level of fragrance that you desire. If you are looking for something low maintenance, ask for landscape roses. These have been developed specifically for people who want a hearty shrub that is disease and insect resistant.

Plant your roses in full sunlight if possible. Avoid rocky areas and hard clay that may create standing water around the root system of your rose bush or vine. Soil should be able to drain well. Ideally roses should be planted away from competing plants and trees to get enough water and nutrients from the soil to flourish. Adding compost to the soil will help add nutrients and improve soil drainage around your roses.

When you buy your rose plants, they will either be potted or sold with bare roots. Bare-root roses should only be planted in the early spring after the chance of frost has passed. Soak the bare roots in water for about an hour before you plant them. Potted roses tend to have a better chance of survival. Potted roses can be planted in the spring or the fall, just avoid planting during colder weather as much as possible.

Before you plant, check your soil’s pH. A pH of 5.5 to 7.0 is ideal for roses. Check with your local nursery if you need help adjusting the pH of your soil.

You do not want to plant your roses too deep in the soil. Bare-root plants should only be planted with about one inch of soil covering the top roots. If you have a potted rose bush, plant it in the ground at the same depth that it was when it was in the bucket. To help the roots establish their hold, water the freshly planted rose bush liberally the first time. This helps to settle the soil and encourage roots to start taking in nutrients.

Set up your garden for easy care. Use a hose reel to keep your garden hose reel handy. With a little pruning and watering, your roses can bring you a display of magnificent proportion for years to come. You will not only gain enjoyment from their beauty and fragrance, but also from the gardening experience of creating such an alluring exhibit.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Tips for Growing Azaleas

Nothing pops from your garden like a solid coat of flowers. When the azalea bush blooms, this is exactly what it produces. It is known for blooming all at once, creating a burst of color that is rich, has a wonderful fragrance and is famous for its beauty and numerous blooms.

Most azaleas are spring bloomers, but some varieties will bloom in spring and again in the fall. Blooms will last a couple of months each time, depending on the weather, so using azaleas in your landscaping will produce a lot of color for a good part of the year. If your azaleas will be part of a continuous display and you would like for them to stay green all year, you can try to purchase the evergreen variety as opposed to the deciduous type. Most North American azaleas are deciduous and drop their leaves in the fall. But, with over 10,000 registered hybrids, you are sure to find a color and style that will look most beautiful in the space that you have available.

Azaleas generally grow well in warmer climates, although some will thrive in colder areas. Some will do well in direct sun, but most prefer shady areas. Evergreen and Japanese varieties, in general, need a lot of shade to do well. Planting azaleas under the shade of a tree is preferable. This is because certain trees will turn the soil slightly acidic, which is necessary to grow azaleas. Oak trees, pine trees and holly are best. You can bring a soil sample to your local nursery to have the acidity checked. A pH of 5.5-6 is best.

You can make your soil more acidic by tilling in pine needles, oak leaves, coffee grounds or ammonium sulfate (agricultural sulfur). These things can take time to turn the soil, so you will want to check your soil acidity often to get it right.

Plant your azaleas in deep soil. Rock beds and hard clay can cause water to pool up under the roots of the azalea plant, causing it to slowly drown and die. The soil needs to drain well. Soak the soil completely every now and then with your water hose to make sure that the bottom roots have wet soil, but be careful not to water too often. Mulch can help you keep moisture in the soil without over-doing it.

You can fertilize azaleas in the late winter or early spring, but it is not a good idea to fertilize at other times of year. This is because fertilizer can force the plant into blooming at the wrong time and the new growth will make the plant susceptible to freezing during the winter months. More mature azaleas do not need any fertilizing. Prune your azaleas soon after they are done blooming to avoid removing the new blooms’ shoots.

Once your azaleas are established, you will enjoy blankets of color in your yard. You can choose azaleas with different bloom times to keep the colors coming from spring to fall. Azaleas require little maintenance and can make gardening a joy. Just keep your garden hose reel close by for frequent watering, especially if the weather is very hot or dry.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.