A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 planting azalea outside

I have a houseplant azalea and wondered if anyone knows if it can be transplanted to the outdoors..thanks..
And if not how do I care for it besides watering. the blooms are all done now..
If it can go outside, what do I do with it? Thank you so much.

I am not sure about where you are, but I grew up in Chicago and never knew that azaleas could grow outside until I moved to Seattle where EVERYONE seems to have them.
Here is a site I found about care: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1059.htm
I would ask at your local gardening center whether or not folks grow them outside in your area. I think the winters might be too harsh where you are. They do well as houseplants though.
I had one as a kid for years in my bedroom.
Good luck.

Here's a link for you to check out....

florists azaleas

Thank guys for your help...not sure if I found my answer yet, but working on it...again..thank you...

They don't typically do well outside if they are a houseplant azalea....I learned the hard way, I bought 2 florist ones and put them outside and they're now dead.

I'm from washington state originally and didn't know there was such a thing as an indoor azalea. Are you sure it died because it was outside? Could it have been that the soil wasn't acidic enough?

I want to thank everyone for their help with my azalea problem...I tend to agree with "loz" my plant cannot be planted outdoors..did the research and have to keep this one indoors..so again, guys, thank you for your help...good luck to everyone with their gardening...Mind you if we don't get any rain soon, no one here will have a garden left...LOL...later.

Hello, nanasgirls. I agree with the others that florist azaleas are not cold hardy enough for your winters. But, I may have some options for you. Consider cold hardy varieties of deciduous azaleas! Some of them will withstand pretty cold temperatures and, yes, they can be planted outside. For example, Tenino and Texas Pink can handle up to -20F (-28C); and the Northern Lights Series from the University of Minn tolerate -35F (-37C)winters and below.

I suggest that you browse one of my favorite azalea web sites, by a nursery called Greer Gardens in Oregon, for examples of offerings. I believe they will ship to Canada and have mail-order paper catalogs. Their URL is www.greergardens.com.

If that helps you, have fun shopping!
Luis