Well, this is a new one! A first for me. After many decades of gardening I have discovered yet something else I have never seen before. Gardening is full of surprises. Exobasidium vaccinnii, a fungus also known as Azalea leaf (or flower) gall has got a hold on poor
Azalea 'Tit Willow', the little azalea which I uprooted to make way for my new garden room in spring. Seems Tit Willow is not happy. After photographing the strange, white, puffy growths on the branch ends, I did a bit of research on the net and came up with the name of the problem. Actually, they look rather like prawn crackers.
 |
| Exobasidium vaccinnii also known as Azalea leaf (or flower) gall |
 |
| Exobasidium vaccinnii also known as Azalea leaf (or flower) gall |
Seems the remedy is to snip them off as soon as you see the problem, dispose of the cuttings where they cannot contaminate further, and clean your secateurs. I cut the little branches well back, and only found the problem in four places.
 |
| Exobasidium vaccinnii also known as Azalea leaf (or flower) gall |
Below it looks as if the fungus has attached itself to a spider's thread.
 |
| Exobasidium vaccinnii also known as Azalea leaf (or flower) gall |
 |
| Exobasidium vaccinnii also known as Azalea leaf (or flower) gall |
