Azaleas are blooming in many of the neighborhood gardens here in Tampa, making me nostalgic for the azaleas near our house on Rokko Island Japan. (photo at left) Most of the streets on Rokko Island are lined with azalea bushes, so in the spring when they bloom the streets appear to be lined with ribbons of pink. Here in Florida, the azaleas are often located near houses and mixed with a variety of plants rather than placed in isolated stands as I saw in Japan.

Azaleas need a soil that is slightly acidic, well-drained and well-aerated. I haven’t received the results of the soil sample I sent in to be tested, so I’m not sure how acidic the soil is or isn’t, but since so many neighbors are growing it, surely the soil in my yard is close to the necessary range.

I visited a local garden shop today to investigate what was available. He has some salmon-colored and some slightly lavender-colored azaleas. I’m going back to his shop on Monday, which gives me several days to think about where I would plant them in my yard. I have to keep thinking about the Florida-Friendly “right plant in the right place” concept because it is important to consider the best environment for each plant. I’m trying to restrict the plants in the front of the house to those that won’t need weekly watering but will survive on the natural rainfall. Azaleas should be watered regularly, so they might not work in the plan for the front yard. The front yard also gets the brunt of the winter winds so the plants in that area are more likely to have frost damage. I’d hate to lose the azaleas to frost next winter. I’m working in the backyard tomorrow, so will see if I have a spot in the backyard for them.