Question
Hi and many thanks for any help you can provide.

I have half a dozen medium size plants that I believe to be azaleas.  They bloomed beautifully but, of course, the blooms fell off and now the leaves are brown.  Is this supposed to happen?  Will they turn green again?  I don't know the difference between annuals and perennials so I apologize if this is not your area of expertise.

Answer
azaleas are shrubs, e.g. they leave woody stems in fall as they go dormant, although quite a few azaleas are evergreen (e.g. leaves stay green).

Perennials is a term used about plants which die back to the ground in the fall, but which comes back next spring.
Shrubs and trees are technically also perennial (e.g. they come back multiple years, not just one year) but the term 'perennials' is typically used about green growth which die back to the ground (e.g. leave no woody stems).

annuals is a term used about tender plants which die in fall, but do not come back next year. they are typically destoyed by frost, although some die after they set seeds, irrespective of temperatures.

azaleas bloom once in early spring. the leaves may have gone brown in winter due to frost, but they typically green up in spring, sometimes after flowering finishes. Keep them watered regularily through summer.

care for azaleas:
- mulch the area under the shrubs with shredded hardwood bark or compost to keep humidity in the ground. you can buy 2 cubic feet bags of mulch at garden centers. 1 bag should do 1 or 2 shrubs at least. let the thickness of the mulch be 2-3" deep (no more).

- water the plants reguarily through hot summers. water deeply when you water. e.g. it is better to water once really well and then do not water for another week. One deep soaking once per week is preferred to many shallow waterings. Let the water soak into the mulch and then add more. keep going. at least 10-15 minutes per shrub once per week and you get nice shrubs. Do not be in a hurry to stop watering in fall. if the fall is very dry, keep watering them. if it has rained, it is not necerssary to water that week (if it was a good long rain storm).

- in early spring, before flowering, apply a sprinkling of HOLLYTONE (an organic fertilizer suited to holly, azaleas and other acidic loving plants). You can buy this at garden centers, home improvement centers, or walmart. it is made by a company called ESPOMA. The fertilizer will keep the shrubs healhty. One application in early spring is all you need. sprinkle it like salt and pepper under the shrubs in early spring.

Besides watering and one annual application of fertilizer, you generally do not need to do anything to these shrubs. If you feel you must prune, do so right after flowering, but azaleas generally do not need pruning.