Hi,
Am from zone 4 Minnesota and wanted to know if anyone has tried satsuki azalea in zone 4 . I do have a green house to protect them in the winter but what am mostly curious about is the growing season. We have a short growing season and it never gets over 100-102F at the max for a few days . Also never as humid as Japan is . Springs are often not as humid so as fall like Portland .
If you have experience growing satsuki in zone 4 climate please share your thoughts .
Satsuki azaleas are not that cold tolerant and shouldn’t be allowed to get below 40 degrees F. If you can keep your greenhouse above that temp, it should probably be fine. They like to be kept moist but not sopping wet. Plant in kanuma soil with 10% pumice added to the mix. Realize that over the winter, they will start sending out new growth and setting buds for the spring. I would suggest starting off with three or four that are not too expensive to see how well they do for you.
I am in the SF Bay Area and our local satsuki club, Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai -satsukiazaleabonsai.org
has lots of growing instructions on its website. Good luck!