Will Azaleas Thrive in Parker County?

My Azaleas are not doing well? Is this normal for Parker County? Yes! Parker County soils are too alkiline for Azaleas or any of the plants in that family. Unless you are prepared to do extraordinary bed preparation and continue with special care for their life expectancy. Or grow them in containers with the correct soil PH. Azaleas need acid soils. You will have fewer headaches by choosing plants that are native or adapted to our area.

If you choose to plant azaleas, you may want to plant them in pots where the soil can be monitored (should be planted in equal amounts of brown sphagnum peat moss and shredded bark mulch). Give them morning sun and afternoon shade; water them regularly because the porous mix will dry out rapidly. Be prepared to water more often than you would if the plants were set directly in the soil.
Azaleas can range from 2 to 6 feet so think about choosing plants that have a similar look for your landscape. The following are plants you may want to consider for your landscape. Some can be used in place of azaleas and some do not have that look but will work well in Parker County.

Region 4 – North Central Texas (Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denton, Wichita Falls)
Note – Plants with number 7 are adaptable to most areas of Texas