This is what an azalea looks like after it has been butchered by an 16 year old landscaper. It was pruned long after the blooms had faded and the pruning cut off all the immature little flowers that were forming for next spring. You will see this all over Macon in the spring when the azaleas bloom.. You can tell the people who keep the same landscaper year after year. All you have to do to correct this is to simply not prune the azaleas at all, or prune them when the flowers are fading but still have some color left in them, Then stop!
Remember that August is a good time to heavily mulch azaleas with pine straw, and then again in the spring. Six to ten inches in the spring will do a lot to help the plant retain moisture. Don’t forget to water azaleas in August if we have a period of drought. You can see the leaves wilt if you watch them. Running a sprinkler for at least two hours lets the water……