Don’t Prematurely Cut Back Azaleas

Q: What do I do about the warm winter we are experiencing? My azaleas are in bloom. Do I cut them back after blooming as I usually do in April? 

A: Don’t cut them back now. They haven’t finished blooming. Damage to azalea flowers all depends on how far out of dormancy the early blooming shrubs are when it freezes. I recently walked past a group of three rhododendrons. One of them was different from the other two. On it, every flower bud had opened and the flower petals had pushed halfway out before the recent freeze. The emerged flower petals were frozen, brown, and ugly. In contrast, the other two shrubs had tight green buds that will bloom at the right time this spring. This goes to show that varieties of the same species of plant can differ in their response to cold weather. Your azaleas, which are members of the rhododendron family, may differ as well. My crystal ball is out for repair, so I can’t predict what will happen. You will just have to wait and see.