Do you feel dreary when your garden lies sleeping under a blanket of dull browns and gray?
Don’t retreat under your own gray blanket. Here are five ways to banish the winter blues.
1. Assess Your Garden
Winter is the perfect time to evaluate your garden. Put on warm clothes and take a walk around your yard. With flowers and deciduous foliage stripped away, you can easily assess a garden’s structure. Does your garden have good “bones?” A great garden has an evergreen structure that holds its beauty throughout the year.
Are there areas out of balance? Is there an unsightly view that needs screening? Are there boring spots that need winter interest?
Evergreen Encore Azaleas may be just what your garden needs! Encores range in size from dwarf varieties growing only a few feet tall to those that will grow to more than 5 feet tall. They also boast a variety of blooms, as well as foliage, many with leaves that turn bronze or red during cooler months.
When you come in from your walk in your winter garden, pour yourself a hot drink and settle down in a comfortable chair to dream of how beautiful your garden can be!
2. Study catalogs and websites
Learn all about Encore Azaleas. Use the Inspiration section of our website. Dream big!
Also, request a copy of our brochure that you can take to the garden center or show your landscaper.
3. Make your plans a reality
Shop! Choose Encore Azalea varieties that fit your needs, and use our online retail finder to locate an Encore Azalea retailer near you.
Use phone numbers from the locator to check and see if your favorite garden center has the variety you like. If they don’t have it, request it! Your retailer should have a supplier with access to all of our varieties and others are probably looking for the same products as you!
4. Plant your new Encores!
If you live in a warm region where soil does not freeze in the winter, you can plant your Encores during cooler months. Enjoy beneficial exercise and invigorating air as you plant your new Encores. Their roots will grow even as the rest of the garden is sleeping.
If you have azaleas located in an area of your landscape that isn’t the most beneficial to them, this is also a great time to transplant. When spring rolls around, your Encores will be ready to bloom and contribute even more beauty to your garden.
5. Don’t despair
If your garden is buried under snow and your ground is frozen during the winter. You can bring potted Encore Azaleas inside until spring arrives. Put them in a spot away from drafts or heating vents, and be sure they receive bright indirect light for at least six hours a day. Place in pretty pots to complement your décor; they will be an asset to your room, and their lovely foliage will surely cheer you.