Zone 5 Winters... what to do with my Azalea bushes?

Do I cut them to the ground? Or do I just leave them? I read that Azaleas are realy touchy in cold weather... I don't know if I should cover them or not (after I do or do not cut them!)?



Do they only grow on new wood (like a Hydrangea) or will they re-bloom on established wood come springtime?



Please help!?!
Zone 5 Winters... what to do with my Azalea bushes?
Personally, I never met an Azalea that had any objection to a zone 5 winter. I always planted Azaleas and Rhododendrons in lovely rich, humousy acid soil and mulched them lightly year-round with bark. Since their roots are so much a surface thing, they can be awfully touchy about too thick a mulch coverage. If it was terribly frozen out, I could comfort them by laying easily removed evergreen boughs about the bases.

The flowers, like those of Rhododendrons, form on the branch tips. For this reason, one would not prune in winter or early spring, but immediately following blooming, at which time one also attends to dead-heading as well.
Reply:Azaleas/rhododendrons may need winter protection, depending on types selected. The University of Minnesota's "Northern Lights" series are extremely hardy for central Illinois.



When planting any azalea/rhododendron, choose a protected location from winter sun and winter wind. Most plants prefer a shady location.



Plants should not be fertilized or pruned after July 1. New growth may not have a sufficient amount of time to become woody and harden off for the winter.



Young plants can be enclosed with chicken wire or dog fencing and packed loosely with oak leaves. Remove the protection in the spring as buds start expanding.



Mature plants can be mulched with several inches of wood chips at the base. Evergreen boughs can be leaned or tied against plants to limit winter injury.



An anti-desicant can be used to help prevent winter drying. Read and follow all directions to the letter. Most are a "waxy" substance that can break down quickly during winter's thaws necessitating reapplication.