Brown Azalias..Are they dead?

Ypsilanti, MI(Zone 5a)

Hello,all. Happy Spring! I'm new to gardening, and am thrilled to see spring arrive and get my hands dirty. I have a question and hope someone can help. I have three azalias I planted last spring and they flourished. Now after the winter thaw, the leaves are brown in color. There a few branches that have healthy looking leaves and even a green bud, but almost all are brown with brown buds. Is this normal? They appear to be dead. I tested the soil and the ph was slightly acidic. Which I am told they like. I purchased them from Home Depot, and they are covered under a one year guarantee until April 27th. I would like to replace them by then if they didn't survive the winter. They are 'Johanna' azalia's which are hardy for zone 5. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks...

Thumbnail by NOTHUMB
Ypsilanti, MI(Zone 5a)

Brown leaves and brown bud----Dead?

Thumbnail by NOTHUMB
Ypsilanti, MI(Zone 5a)

Lighter colored, healthy bud?

Thumbnail by NOTHUMB
Saint Clair Shores, MI(Zone 6b)

SCratch the stem

green = alive
brown = dead

But from your pictures, I would guess that you might have lost some of the upper growth, but the lower growth looks fine. Leave it alone until new growth begins and then trim out anything that doesn't seem to be pushing new growth.

~Chills

Melvindale, MI(Zone 5a)

Welcome to the forum Nothumb. Hope you get some answers. I don't know anything about azalias.

Cindy

Ypsilanti, MI(Zone 5a)

I did scratch the stem and quite a few are green underneath. Thanks for the advice. I will wait and see what happens. I appreciate the warm greeting, and look forward to chatting with all here. Happy gardening!

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