dont worry the flowers are ment to wilt: you can put the azela outside but once winter or autumn comes and frosting starts you must bring the azela back in.

I've got three in my garden - all have survived over the years. I didn't have room in the house and they had two chances!

Hi, welcome to GoY, you will need to harden them off before planting them out, but once you've done that you can leave them outside, my wife got a pot of them a few years ago, there were 4 in a small basket, so I split them up, planted them in a nursery bed until they got a bit bigger, then planted them in their permanent positions, they flower every year, and they have survived minus 22c in a very exposed position, Derek.

Plant it in the garden, and give it a good feed with Sequestrine. It should be fine, and it is only the buds which are susceptible to frost, so if that is imminent, cover them as best you can with fleece or similar.

Hi, if you have acid soil, you won't need to use sequestrine, also if they're fairly small, I wouldn't feed them at all until they're at least 15" tall, Derek.

I was once told there are tender ones and ones you can plant out int he garden. Is this wrong?

Hi Sue, yes there are more tender ones round about 20 species, but the vast majority are completely hardy, the ones used for such things as mother's day baskets are the hardy species, Derek.