A BAD CASE OF THE ' EPATOOZIES'

Dwarf Japanese Azalea

It's probably clear to most of my readers by now that I'm addicted to Rhododendrons and Azaleas. I bought the little one above at an end of the year sale and it was in very sad condition. Down South when someone or something is sick and we don't know with what, we call it a case of the " epatoozies" , which is what this azalea had.

I gave it extra attention when planting it but it still looked rather sad this Spring. Azaleas and Rhodos like a combination of peat moss, leaf mold, new top soil and horse manure, which I added in generous amounts.

For extra insurance, I doctored it with a dose of " Marine Cusine ", an organic fertilizer composed of fish that I think is very good. All of a sudden last week the above blooms appeared for the first time !

The Japanese azalea blooms later than the early Spring ones and is not affected by late April freezes. In addition, it is very low growing, almost like a ground cover.

It still has a lot of catching up to do on the leaf development but the fact that it bloomed so well the first season is a good indication that it's well on it's way to recovery.