Little John Azalea

Description

Grown for its evergreen burgundy foliage more so than its large deep purplish-red, Formosa Azalea-like flowers. Little John Evergreen Azalea matures into a small to medium-sized evergreen shrub with a naturally rounded habit. It does not always flower after harsh winters in our zone 8B gardens but it is still a standout amongst its peers adding yearround color and interest.Provide your evergreen Azaleas with a well-drained, average moist, humus rich, acid soil and topdress with an organic mulch for the best results.
Azaleas need a humus rich, acid soil and adequate moisture during establishment as well as a good organic mulch. The mulch will keep the root zone cooler and at a more stable temperature, helps to conserve moisture, controls competition from weeds, and as it breaks down it's nutrients are slowly release back into the soil feeding your plants. Properly mulched Azaleas often need little additional nutrients once they are well established. Never use lime around Azaleas and realize that many of your 'garden' fertilizers like 8-8-8 and 13-13-13 contain lime as a filler so this could be toxic to them. Use a slow release, non-burning, acidifying fertilize instead when needed.

*Under full sun conditions the Evergreen Azaleas tend to be more susceptible to Azalea Lacebug damage, providing midday or filtered shade seems to help alleviate this issue.

For more in-depth information on growing Azaleas please see the following links:LSU Agcenter – Allen Owings and Dan Gill – AzaleasUGA Extension – Gary L. Wade, S. Kristen Braman, Jean Williams Woodward with input from John Thornton, Frank Bryan, and Albert Penland – Selecting and Growing AzaleasMSU Cares – revised by Jeff Wilson from an earlier edition by David Tatum – Azaleas For The LandscapeAnd see our Growing Guide to the left.