I would like to prune my Azaleas before they bloom. Pruning the azaleas now will remove the blooms that have developed for this Spring. Thus no flowers.
Azaleas begin to produce the buds for next year soon after they finish blooming.
Generally, you have about 30 days, right after they finish blooming, to prune the azaleas. Otherwise, light pruning to keep stray branches in line, or to remove ones that are damaged and diseased is all that's needed. Our expert's suggestions should not be construed as medical opinions aimed at establishing a diagnosis or course of treatment. Individuals under active treatment should not construe information contained in this column as replacing or superseding recommendations of their clinicians. Our expert's suggestions should not be construed as legal opinions aimed at determining a course of legal action.