What is the latest date I can prune my azaleas and rhododendrons?
In the Piedmont they should be pruned within two or three weeks after the blooms have faded. These plants form next years buds during the summer and they need a period of time to form buds and store energy for next year. You can prune azaleas and rhodies later than this but we do not recommend pruning later than July 1st. If you prune in late June and July there will often be a period where there are scorched leaves created by the removal of shading upper canopy leaves. This will not harm the plant permanently. You can do some corrective pruning in the winter but we do not like to see large scale removal of wood at this time.
