BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — It's July, which means it's time to prune your azaleas again!
The first pruning should be done in the spring, right after the flowers have bloomed. The second summer pruning should be done before the flowers set their buds.
According to Kathy Robinson, who runs Robby's Nursery in Bakersfield, there are two reasons for the summer pruning.
The first, is shape.
"We're just going to hedge them so they look nice and neat, and round, and you get rid of anything that's kind of wild-looking" says Robinson.
More importantly, the second pruning will ensure a full bloom in the spring, as buds will set on the end of each of the newly pruned stems.
"A plant that's just let go and become kind of lanky will only bloom at the tips so there's only maybe 10 blooms on the plant," says Robinson, "These plants will literally have so many blooms that you won't see the green hardly."
