Gardening Questions

Denton Library, 2009

I have two azaleas. One has orange flowers and has flowered very well. One has yellow flowers and has only produced one flower and has no buds, but does have quite good foliage.  How can I get it to flower more?

The best option may be to move the plant to a different location in the autumn.

I have an evergreen azalea which has lots of flowers, but very little foliage. It is in a windy location.

When plants are in a windy situation, they often die due to lack of moisture as the wind burns it all off, although in this case it is more likely due to the evergreen azaleas not being quite as hardy as the deciduous azaleas.

I have a camellia, planted in the ground. It has good foliage, but very few flowers. I feed it every week.

Camellias often do better in pots as they prefer shade in the summer and light in the winter. If they dry out during the summer in can affect the next year’s flowers. The plant itself may be too comfortable. Plants produce flowers to ensure the next generation of plants, but if they feel secure and well fed they will only produce foliage. Try stopping the feed and see if the flowering improves.

I have an Escalonia Gold Brian, it was beautiful but is now woody and the leaves are drooping.

If the plant has been growing vigorously in the past, it may have exhausted itself. Some shrubs do have a life span. Continuous production of new strains of species of plants has weakened the species. It may be best to dig it out, add some fresh soil and to replant.