Azaleas are generous bloomers in the spring and make a wonderful addition to a colorful landscape. So it’s no wonder that gardeners can’t get enough of them. Garden nurseries are overflowing with Azaleas in the spring, but have you ever considered growing your own Azaleas from seed?
Azaleas and other Rhododendrons are easy to grow from seed. Azalea seed pods are simple to spot and can be gathered in the fall. Because the seeds do not require a dormant cold period, they can begin to germinate within a few weeks after gathering. Depending on your climate, you may be able to plant them outside during the following spring, and you can expect to see flowers in as few as 3 to 4 years.
If the pollen parent and the seed parent are from different varieties, the Azaleas you grow from seeds may not resemble the Azaleas from which you took the seeds. Read on for step-by-step information on how to harvest, germinate and grow your own Azaleas from seed, plus instructions for how to plant them into the ground and protect them during their first winter.
Can An Azalea Be Grown From Seed?
Although most gardeners choose to get new Azaleas from a nursery, Azaleas are not difficult to grow from seed. It may be several years before you see blooms on Azaleas grown from seed, but the process is simple and inexpensive.
You can either collect Azalea seeds yourself, or you can buy them. Collecting Azalea seeds is free, but you are more assured of getting the variety you want if you buy them. Azalea seeds get genes from both their seed parent and their pollen parent, so you may end up with an interesting hybrid if you collect your own seeds.
How to Locate Azalea Seeds
Sometimes, locating the seeds on outdoor plants can feel like an impossible treasure hunt. Fortunately, Azaleas are not one of those plants. Azaleas very conveniently produce their seeds in seed pods that are visible once the flowers drop off. Each seed pod can contain over 200 individual seeds.
Seed pods appear towards the tips of the branches and look like small brown pods beneath dried-up flowers. Left to their own devices, the seed pods would eventually split and drop the seeds onto the ground. However, if you want to gather the seeds for yourself, collect the seed pods before they split.
When and How to Collect Seeds From Your Azalea
Now that you know where to look for seed pods (and the Azalea seeds they contain) let’s talk about how to collect those seeds. You’ll begin to notice the seed pods on your Azaleas while they are still green. These pods will grow more prominent over the summer and into the autumn.
Collect the pods from the plant when the seed pods turn brown. This usually happens sometime near the first fall frost. In my area, this time is generally in October, but it varies depending on your climate. But remember, seed pods will split open and release all their seeds if you wait too long, so don’t delay picking them once you notice the pods turning brown.
As you harvest the seed pods, place them in a paper envelope. In addition to creating a suitable environment for the pods to dry out, a paper envelope also allows you to record details on the front about when and where you gathered the pods for future reference.
Allow the seed pods to dry out for several weeks. Most of the pods will begin splitting open on their own after this time. At this point, it should be easy to separate the seeds from the pods. Azalea pods contain a large number of seeds, so you should get more than enough seeds from just a few pods, even if all of your seed pods don’t split on their own.
Some types of Azaleas have seed pods that are less delicate. If your seed pods don’t begin to split open, you can use one of two methods to get to all of the seeds.
Option #1 – Cut open your seed pods one by one. This is the method that I prefer. Once your Azaleas have dried for several weeks, use a knife to carefully slice open the seed pods and shake out the seeds. You need a little bit of patience for this method, but unless you are trying to open dozens of seed pods, it’s not too difficult.
Option #2 – Crush the seed pods and sift the seeds from the debris. This method is a bit messier than option one but equally as effective. Once your seed pods have dried out completely, place them in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Crush the pods using a rubber mallet or a hammer. Some seed pods are stubborn, and you might need to use quite a bit of force to smash the pod.
When you have sufficiently broken down all of the seed pods, sift the contents through a progressively smaller set of straining devices over a piece of paper or a container. You will need multiple sizes of mesh for this to work. Throw away the debris left on the mesh each time until all you have left are seeds.
Can You Buy Azalea Seeds?
If you have plans to plant lots of new Azaleas from seeds but don’t have access to the variety you want, or you forget to collect the seed pods before they break open, that’s perfectly okay. You can purchase Azalea seeds.
Your local garden store may have Azalea seeds available for purchase. If not, you can always order them online or from catalogs. While it’s fun to gather the seeds yourself, there’s nothing wrong with buying Azalea seeds instead.
Germinating Your Collected Azalea Seeds
After collecting the seeds, you can begin germinating your Azalea seeds. Although Azaleas drop their seeds on their own naturally, you’ll rarely see Azaleas popping up from seed in your garden beds. This is because Azaleas have specific conditions needed for germination that don’t typically occur in most outdoor settings.
By the time that your seed pods have dried out, it will probably be winter. Generally, you would not start most seeds at this time of the year, but it is okay to go ahead with your Azaleas indoors. In fact, this allows them to get a headstart on growing before you move them outside in the spring.
Here’s what you’ll need to germinate your seeds.
- The bottom of an empty plastic milk or juice jug (or any other flats container like a seed starting kit)
- Sand
- Perlite
- Sphagnum moss
- Distilled water
To begin, poke holes in the bottom of your container to make sure it will be able to drain after each watering. You can purchase flats designed specifically for starting seeds, but you can just as easily create a shallow container (about 3 inches deep) from materials that you already have on hand.
Create a mixture of half sand and half perlite for your growing medium. Fill your container halfway with the growing medium and wet it using the distilled water. Keep adding water until water drains out of the bottom. You want a moist environment, but you don’t want it so wet that fungus and disease threaten your seeds.
Mill the sphagnum moss by rubbing it against a strainer. Place a ⅛ inch layer over your growing medium and carefully mist the moss with the distilled water. Then, sprinkle a light layer of Azalea seeds over the moss.
Cover your container tightly with plastic wrap to keep the environment humid for the seeds to begin germinating. You should not need to water again unless the growing medium dries out.
Place the seeds in an area that stays at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want the seeds to germinate faster, keep them in an area with a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. To provide enough light, either place the seeds in a north-facing window or supplement with a grow light. (This one is my favorite.) The seeds should begin germinating sometime between 2 and 6 weeks.
To prevent fungus or mold, partially remove the plastic wrap from your container when the seeds begin sprouting. After removing, you’ll need to watch your sprouts closely. Once the plastic wrap does not cover the container, it will dry out more quickly.
When to Transplant Your New Azalea Sprouts
As you monitor your sprouts, know that you can transplant them into larger containers once they have at least two true leaves. You can use any container you want as long as it has adequate room (2-3 inches of space each) for the sprouts to grow and a drainage hole in the bottom. Many gardeners use a 6-cell flat or a set of nursery pots at this stage.
Once again, you’ll prepare the same growing medium that you used before, a mix of sand and perlite. Moisten the growing medium before you begin transplanting.
To move the sprouts, carefully remove them from their original container using a toothpick or other small device. Once you have moved the plants to their new containers, mist the top of the growing medium. Then, partially cover the new containers with plastic wrap to keep them nice and humid. You can remove the plastic wrap after a few days.
Keep the containers in a sunny window or under grow lights for the winter. If it is above freezing in your area, you can bring the flats outside in the shade each day once they have 5 to 6 leaves.
When all danger of frost has passed, you can choose to transplant your Azaleas outdoors or keep them in their indoor containers until the following year. This really depends on your climate. In warm areas, Azalea sprouts will have enough time to mature to withstand the winter before temperatures drop. In cooler areas, you might decide to keep your Azaleas in containers inside for one more year.
Planting New Azaleas Outdoors
It’s the moment you’ve been patiently waiting for: It’s time to plant the new Azaleas that you started from seed outdoors. You can begin planting Azaleas outdoors in the spring once all danger of frost has passed.
If you haven’t already done so, this is the time to begin acclimating your new Azaleas to the outdoors. For Azaleas, this process takes about two weeks. During the first week, set your Azaleas outside in the shade for a few hours in the morning, then bring them back inside. During the second week, set your Azaleas outside in the shade from the morning until the evening, bringing them in at night. After your seedlings are hardened off, you can transplant your Azaleas into their new homes in the ground.
Before planting, look for a location where your Azaleas will get morning sun and afternoon shade. Azaleas don’t like sweating it out in the afternoon heat, and being out in the sun all day can cause stress and potentially damage the plants. Want to do more research on the perfect location? This article covers everything you need to know about the ideal light conditions for Azaleas.
Azaleas need acidic, well-draining soil. If you aren’t sure whether or not your soil is acidic enough, have it tested at your local extension office. Azaleas need soil with a pH of below 6.0. For more information on the best soil for Azaleas and how to amend your gardens to keep them happy, read this article.
Although your new Azaleas are small, you’ll still want to make sure that you are correctly spacing them if you are planting them near each other. Research the variety that you are planting to determine the amount of space that they need.
Once you have your location determined, you’re ready to plant.
- Dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the root ball on your new Azaleas.
- Carefully place your Azalea in the hole. Try to hold onto the root ball or to the leaves as you move the Azalea around. It is best to avoid the stem because you might damage the vascular system.
- Fill in the soil around the Azalea.
- Water the Azalea.
- Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the Azalea to help the soil retain moisture. Do not allow the mulch to touch the side of the Azalea. (More on Azalea mulch here!)
To care for your new Azaleas, check them frequently. Water at least twice a week. Depending on the weather, you may need to water more often.
When you begin to see new growth, this means that the roots are developing well. At this point, you can begin adding fertilizer. To avoid accidentally damaging the new Azaleas, dilute the fertilizer before applying it. You can always use a stronger mix later if you need to, but it’s best to start off light with young plants.
Young Azalea Plants in the Winter
If you live in an area with severe winters, it is usually best to give new Azaleas an entire year indoors before planting them in the elements. However, no matter when you plant, you’ll still want to protect young Azaleas during their first winter outdoors.
Stop fertilizing Azaleas at the end of the summer, so they are dormant before the first frost begins. Once freezing weather arrives, you can take steps to protect your young Azaleas from damage.
Azaleas suffer damage from drying out in the winter, so make sure to soak your Azaleas thoroughly before freezing temperatures arrive. Adding mulch can also help to prevent moisture loss.
Cold-damaged Azaleas show signs of winter damage right away. If you notice bark splitting, you need to take more steps to protect your Azaleas from winter weather. If the weather drops below 25 degrees F, there’s a chance that your Azaleas will sustain damage.
If you live in an especially frigid location, place stakes around your Azaleas, and wrap a blanket or burlap around the stakes to shield the plants. Keep the covering from touching the leaves, and don’t use plastic as this might collect moisture that can further freeze and damage the Azaleas.
As long as the Azaleas you’ve cultivated are hardy in your zone, you should not need to protect them as much once they become more mature. Caring for Azaleas throughout the winter is not much different than caring for most other flowering shrubs.
Closing Thoughts
If the idea of a garden overflowing with Azaleas appeals to you, then it’s worth starting your own Azaleas from seed. The process is not difficult and is undoubtedly more cost-effective than buying them from your local garden center.
It will take about three to four years, but soon you’ll have a row full of blooming Azaleas that you started all by yourself! In fact, for the price of one Azalea from the nursery, you could have tons of Azaleas started from seed. Just make sure that you start seeds for varieties that are hardy in your zone. Otherwise, you could end up disappointed when the new Azaleas aren’t able to make it through the winter even with extra protection.