Does anybody know if an indoor plant azalia can be hardened off and grown as an outdoor plant or are they different to the larger plants that you can buy for outside.I have a white one but now the flowers are turning brown and almost finished it won`t look pretty with just the leaves.

Thank you

Do you know what type of Azalea it is? Indoor Azaleas are generally grown in greenhouses so they will thrive in an indoor environment. The two basic types of Azaleas are deciduous Azaleas and evergreen Azaleas. Deciduous azaleas are native to the eastern and western United States and some part of Asia and Europe and hybrids of these species. They are grown outdoors. Evergreen azaleas originated in Japan and will grow indoors and outdoors.

Where do you live? The Azaleas that you buy from the grocery or florist will live outside in mild climates. I have never gotten an Azalea to live indoors. If you live in a cold climate, you could grow it in a pot and bring it in for the winter.

I actually live in the South of England, so coldish Winters. I only know it is white! It was a gift for me that came from Next for my birthday. So do not know what it is exactly. I do have a greenhouse but it is not heated in Winter. Maybe I will try it outside when all the flowers drop off and if it survives and bring it back in for Winter. So far I have had it a few months and it is doing well, normally they die on me. What I do is let it dry out completely and I can see it is from just seeing it and then give it a soak in a bucket to take in water for 2 or 3 hours and that seems to suit it. Then I feel the compost and it feels very wet but does not stand in any water. If I have water in the butt I use that rather than tap water.

What are your lowest temps in winter? I am suspecting it would do just fine outside year 'round if planted in the ground.

Daisy

I may plant it out in acid compost as we are clay. Maybe a pot because of our soil. We go below zero in Winter sometimes! In my garden I do have an outdoor one that I have had in a large pot for nearly 30 years but thought that maybe some are just for indoors.

Rhododenron Indicum (my Latin stinks) is not hardy much below 32°F / 0°C