we all need to be rejuvenated every once in a while!...
i live in a neighborhood of homes about 60 years old...many were given azaleas about 60 years ago...well, after 60 years, we all need a swift kick to get things moving again...right?
laura's azaleas were in need of just that...a heavy pruning, sometimes called a rejuvenation pruning...
first, i removed the dead wood...and there was a lot of it!
then, i removed any diseased or damaged branches...there was significant die back among the shrubs on the right side of the house...those on the left are showing signs of disease too...i'll spray them with fungicide but they'll also improve as their conditions improve...more sunlight can filter in now and more air can circulate...both good things if you are an azalea :)
the pruning was done in february...i suspect mother nature will fill these mature shrubs in rather quickly...stay tuned...