How to Prune an Azalea?

Azaleas delight us with their stunningly generous flowering in spring. Deciduous or evergreen depending on whether they are from China or Japan, they slowly form medium to large bushes, reaching heights of 60 cm to 2 m, with a similar spread. Chinese Azaleas are fragrant and offer beautiful autumn foliage, while Japanese Azaleas naturally maintain a bushy, rounded habit all year round. They can be grown in the ground or in pots. Once placed in the right spot and in suitable soil, they are easy to care for and require little maintenance. Pruning an azalea is optional—it simply involves removing dead wood and damaged branches to rejuvenate the plant and potentially reshape its silhouette.

Pruning Azaleas is done after flowering, which occurs from March to June depending on the species and variety. It differs depending on whether you're pruning an evergreen Japanese Azalea or a deciduous Chinese Azalea, and the reasons for pruning vary.

To learn more about growing Azaleas, read our article: Azaleas: Planting, Growing, Pruning and Care.

Spectacular Azaleas and Rhododendrons at Schönbrunn Park.

When to Prune an Azalea?

All Azaleas should be pruned once flowering has finished, bearing in mind that flowering spans from March for the earliest varieties to May for the later ones. Note: for Azaleas in the "Encore" series, which produce 2 to 3 flowering cycles per year, prune after the first flowering, before the second wave of flower buds appears in May.

How to Prune an Azalea?

Tools Required

To prune an Azalea, you'll need gloves and secateurs. Ensure they are disinfected with alcohol beforehand to prevent disease transmission between plants.

Pruning Japanese Azaleas

Although Japanese Azaleas naturally have a compact, rounded habit all year, you may wish to refine their shape or prune them into cushions. Note that this pruning is not essential: you can choose to prune for shaping or simply let them grow naturally—Azalea care is straightforward.

Maintenance Pruning

To prune a Japanese Azalea correctly, follow these steps lightly:

Use clean secateurs
Remove spent flowers
Cut away damaged or sparsely leafed stems
To reshape the bush, identify where the wood is bare—this is your limit
Shorten green shoots with secateurs, following the plant's natural shape
Step back regularly to assess your work and adjust cuts as needed

The Japanese prune Azaleas meticulously and regularly to achieve such uniform results—this style is called "tamamono" (photo t.kunikuni)

Cloud Pruning

If you want to prune a Japanese Azalea into cushions or clouds, work on an older plant and be patient!

In the first year, remove bare or dead branches
Cut vertical branches, then short horizontal ones
In the second year, remove fine shoots growing beneath the formed platforms to define lines
Remove branches growing above the platforms, keeping only the rounded tips
Repeat over several years to densify the shape
Afterwards, simply remove misplaced shoots and balance the bush's overall appearance

Pruning Chinese Azaleas

Chinese Azaleas are pruned for two reasons: to rejuvenate an ageing plant with too much bare wood or a leggy shape, or to encourage branching for a fuller bush.

Use clean secateurs
Remove spent flowers
Identify branching points
Shorten overly long branches above these points
Examine the plant's base
Cut old branches if new growth is replacing them

How to Train a Japanese Azalea into a Standard?

Tools and Technique

The tools required are the same as for other pruning—clean secateurs and gloves.

To shape a Japanese Azalea into a standard, follow these steps:

Start with a potted Azalea for easier handling
Select a central branch as the trunk
Mark where you want the crown to form (usually removing the lower third)
Remove all stems from the collar up to your mark, plus any suckers
Stake the trunk loosely
Prune the crown into shape (round, elongated, or pyramidal), avoiding bare wood

Perform maintenance pruning annually for the first 3 years while the trunk thickens. Pinch new shoots above a leaf to densify growth and shape the crown.

Azaleas can also be trained as bonsai.