IDENTIFICATION
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Yellow Azalea, much like Rhododendron is best controlled by complete removal of the shrub, though herbicide applied to cut stumps is also effective. It is best controlled via herbicide or by digging it up. Herbicide treatments can be applied via injecting into cut stumps, however for complete eradication mechanical methods are required such as digging out the plant and roots. As the plant waste is deemed as special ‘controlled waste’ it will need to be taken to a suitably licensed landfill.
To find out the best way to remove Yellow azalea and the best time of year to have treatment or excavation carried out get in touch.
This plant is listed as a Schedule 9 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, therefore it is an offence to plant or allow to spread into the wild as it will quickly take over habitats. It is not illegal to plant on your own property but it is an offence to allow it to spread onto other properties.
Azalea root systems form a mass directly below the plant. Though they prefer to root close to the surface, the density of these root systems can make them hard to remove completely.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rhododendron luteum
ORIGIN: South-Eastern Europe & Southwest Asia
Yellow azalea or Honeysuckle azalea is a bushy deciduous shrub (part of the Rhododendrons) with oblong leaves turning orange, purple and red in Autumn and a bright display of yellow clustering flowers with a heady perfume.
As with all Rhododendron species, they can reproduce and spread in two ways – via seed dispersal to form new plants and by branch growth.
Commonly found in woodlands, also in wet heathlands, dunes and bogs as azaleas have shallow roots so prefer moist, well-drained soil.
The danger with hardy invasive species such as Yellow azalea is that they change the balance in our native ecosystems, usually for the worse, resulting in out-competing indigenous species.
Azaleas contain substances called grayanotoxins that are present in all parts of the plant. Grayantoxins block normal function of the muscles in people and animals, including the heart, and can impair nerve function. If ingested is toxic to humans and animals.