Follow these essential cold protection tips for your Encore® Azaleas to keep them healthy until spring:
Choose Variety Based on Hardiness & Location:
Encore Azaleas are versatile shrubs, thriving in various conditions throughout the country. They are also cold hardy, many to zone 6A. However, before selecting your Encore Azalea, know your USDA plant zone, as well as the cold hardiness of your preferred specimen. You can determine your zone and discover a list of Encore Azaleas ideal for your location through our zone finder, or you may browse your preferred variety’s characteristics individually here on our site.
Water Well:
Before freezing temperatures occur, ensure the soil around your plants has plenty of residual moisture.
If rainfall has been scarce during the fall, deeply water landscape plants every week or 10 days until the first hard freeze.
Note: in normal rainfall, your Encore Azaleas should have sufficient moisture to cope with winter.
Add Mulch:
Add mulch to protect the roots. Mulch can be applied at any time, although it’s best to add about 4 inches of mulch in the fall to protect the roots from the first frost. Mulch keeps Encore Azalea’s shallow roots safe from the outside environment while retaining moisture as the temperatures drop. Pine straw and bark are ideal. To learn how to make your own mulch and compost, click here.
Cover or Drape:
Drape material to protect plants from severe weather. When heavy snowfall or icing is predicted, provide additional protection by driving stakes into the ground around the plants and draping material over the stakes. Choose burlap or any cloth material so the azalea receives airflow. Be sure the cover does not have direct contact with the plants as this can injure the foliage. Cover is especially beneficial for new or recently transplanted azaleas, which have not had enough time to establish a strong root system.
For more winter care tips, watch our Encore Azalea Winter Care video. Here’s a handy printable Winter Care Guide.
To browse the full Encore Azalea collection, click here.
Encore Azalea is the best azalea you’ll ever plant. Encore Azaleas are the world’s best-selling re-blooming azaleas with rich, colorful blooms in spring, summer, and fall. Encore Azaleas have 31 varieties of bloom colors and sizes to choose from and thrive equally well in high filtered shade or sunny locations – unlike any other azalea in the world. Find a retailer near you at www.encoreazalea.com.
Pin it!
