I got my Valentine plant today

[bedofroses]

So my DH asked me a few days ago what I wanted and I told him I wanted a new plant for my patio. We went to the nursery today and talked to one of the experts. The recomended Azaleas because we have no sun. We ended up choosing the White Prince variety. It is so pretty. It has white flowers with res/pink scatered on the petals. I promise I will post pictures asap.

What I need to know is, can I replant it into the same pot and soil that a plant I lost was in? Or do I need to use fresh soil? I had a plant that did not make it through winter. I know I can reuse the pot but what about the soil?

I am so happy:purpleblob:

The guy who helped us also recomended using ferns to fill in spots and have flowering bushes like azaleas for color. Does anyone have any recomendations of pretty ferns? Now that spring is right around the cornor I plan on making it pretty.

[Anakat]

It would probably do better if you got fresh soil, as the previous plant may have used all the nutrients. Or you could add a bit of all purpose fertilizer before you put the plant in. It should look lovely, I like the way white flowers seem to glow in shade.

[bedofroses]

Thank you ANakat. Thats what I needed to know. I probably won't have time to transplant it untill moday but I promice I will get pictures up soon. As some of you know between my job at Trader Joes, Karma and building skateboards, getting pictures of my garden will take time.

I do love my new plant. Its so pretty. My DH is wonderful for not wanting to get me the standaard roses that will die in a week but wanted to get me a plant that would last forever.

[neetanddave]

Azaleas are great! I have at least 150 of them on our property, apparently the previous owners loved them as well.

They are very hardy and require little maintenance. If your soil is alkaline, maybe add some pine needles for mulch to increase the acidity level. And prune them right after they bloom, as they set flowers in the fall and winter and spring pruning would ruin the flower show...

As far as ferns, there are a lot of them that would do well with the azaleas. Walmart even carried an assortment of fern roots, about $8 for 3-5 nice ones.

Good luck with the replanting!

[Anakat]

There is one fern, Japanese painted fern that is dark red and white, it is stunning I am planning on getting one later. If you google it you should be able to see some pictures.

[neetanddave]

There is one fern, Japanese painted fern that is dark red and white, it is stunning I am planning on getting one later. If you google it you should be able to see some pictures.
Oh, that is a nice one, Anne. Very hardy as well. Not one of the delicate ones, like maidenhair.

[LokisMum]

I love azaleas - but if you are putting it into a pot, I would definitely use fresh earth. And yes, they like it acidic, so you can get some soil amendments to add acidity to the soil.

[bedofroses]

I love azaleas - but if you are putting it into a pot, I would definitely use fresh earth. And yes, they like it acidic, so you can get some soil amendments to add acidity to the soil.

What do you mean by acidic? What kind of soil amendments do I get? Do I mix them ino the soil or sprinkle on top?

I have heard that coffee is good for plants. How would I use that and does it work. Also is it used coffee grinds or fresh?

Ahhhhhhhhhh there is so much to learn.

[Anakat]

Probably the easiest thing to do is go to the garden centre and buy a bag of special compost, if you look you will see they do all sorts of different composts for different plants, like special ones for heathers etc. I expect there is one for Azaleas. Heathers would do alright on your patio as well. :SmilieDaisy:

[neetanddave]

Walmart should have a food for azaleas. Will also work on roses. :D

[bedofroses]

And prune them right after they bloom, as they set flowers in the fall and winter and spring pruning would ruin the flower show...


How do I prune it? Its full of flowers right now. I will be posting pictures tomorrrow so you can see it. Where do I make the cuts? It has a ton of full blooms and a ton of buds. As so as I got it home and watered it, it seemed to explode. How do I keep it healthy?