Question
Hi Tom!
I am a real neophyte when it comes to gardening. although I surround myself with plants indoors, I am a city girl, or was, until we had a home built on the vt/nh line.
hubby did not want any maintenance, so no grass. that means our property is aptly named 'mulch acres'!  I decided to do all the planting myself- what was I thinking??!! at any rate, I have grown to LOVE it!
my questions are:

I have planted alot of rhodis, azaleas, hostas, vinca minor, junipers, etc and have been very lucky, only a few deaths!  how and when do you cut back rhodis and azaleas when they get leggy?

my blueberry bushes look terrible regardless of where I have planted them in the yard. my soil is acidic, I have alot of pine. any suggestions with these plants- they are all along the edge of woods- some in sun others in shade, all looking terrible, and of course no berries!

we applied the mulch on top of fabric 3 years ago when the house was finished. i got alot of weeds last summer, I had not done any weeding or weed prevention.  also the mulch is wearing thin in many places.  what are my alternatives at this point, keeping in mind that my budget is very tight!

many thanks!
Kathryn

Answer
Hi Kathryn,
Thanx for your question.  Trim/prune rhodies and azaleas after they have bloomed but no later than autumn.  Acidic soil is what blueberries need.  Are they getting full sun and enough water?  Probably too much shade.  You should probably amend the soil around the blueberries with some composted cow or horse manure.  When you asked what other alternatives in your last paragraph, were you referring to the mulch?  You could try Preen.  I don't like recommending this stuff because it's not really green.  You can use vinegar too, to kill weeds but it may take several applications.  Otherwise, if the budget is that tight (the times aren't so good nowadays) then you'll just have to keep pulling the weeds as you seed them.  I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear!  I hope this helps.
Tom