Pruning azalea plants early will allow the plant's energy to be directed toward producing new growth. Assess your azalea to find dead branches and other spots that need trimming. Use a pair of hand clippers to thin the azaleas. Clip out any dead branches. Don't go overboard with this early-season pruning. Each healthy branch you cut away is a branch that could have produced beautiful spring flowers. If you want to drastically change the shape of your azalea, wait until later in the summer. Now is the time to reshape your azalea shrub if you wish. Cut long, stray shoots next to woody branches to retain the azalea's natural form. Trim back areas that seem too crowded to promote air flow and improve the look of the bush. Be sure you make careful cuts - don't use hedge clippers to trim the bush willy nilly. Don't prune too late in the year. Prune no later than 3 weeks after the blooms have gone - otherwise, you'll be cutting away next year's flower growth. If you have an azalea that has grown to large proportions and you're ready to cut it back, you can safely cut it to within a foot of the ground and it will grow back bushy and beautiful. Do it after the blooms of spring have faded, so the plant has time to reestablish itself before the next phase of growth.

Summary: Trim away dead branches in the spring. Do a light pruning after the blooms fade. Do a drastic pruning when necessary.


During the active growing season, which is generally spring through summer, try to support your plants by feeding them every fortnight (which is every 14 days). Start doing this as soon as the first buds appear on the plant. A general water-soluble plant feed or one that your rake into the soil is fine. This encourages the plant to produce flowers. You can purchase plant feed at your local gardening supply store. You should make a point to water your tubers just after planting, as mentioned above. Continue to water your new plants once every 10 to 14 days. When the first foliage, or leaves, appear on your plants, you should try to water them once a week. Continue watering your plants once a week until fall comes around. In the fall, the ranunculus will die back, or go dormant, and will not need to be watered. Dormancy is covered more thoroughly in Step 5 of this section. Sadly, ranunculus can fall prey to pests like slugs and aphids. Luckily, there are measures you can take to make sure that these pests stay away.  Combat slugs with slug pellets, which are sprinkled around your ranunculus. You can purchase these pellets at a garden supply store. A standard aphid spray or insecticidal soap should be applied if aphid attack occurs. As with many flowering plants, it’s advisable to remove spent flowerheads once they wither (when they dry up and die). This not only makes the plant look tidier, it also encourages other flowers to form and reduces the amount of energy the plant spends on seed formation, which helps preserve its strength. Use a sharp pair of scissors to snip off the dead heads as soon as they begin to look scruffy. Try to cut the flower at the base of the stem, which is located in amongst the foliage, or leaves. Once the flowering season ends in fall, allow the foliage to die back. Dying back means that the plant becomes dormant until the next flowering season. To encourage the plant to regrow the next season: Refrain from cutting the dead growth away before the first frost. You don’t need to water the plant while it is dormant; in fact, these plants do better if they are not watered while they are dormant in the winter. Ranunculus will tolerate a light frost if left in the ground through a fairly mild winter. If your local climate regularly experiences heavy frost then dig up the tubers and store them in a cool dark place such as a garden shed for the winter. Try to avoid bringing them into a heated space like your home as they tend to rot under these conditions. Because of the difficulty establishing ranunculus as perennials (plants which flower year after year), many gardeners just treat them as annuals (plants which flower only one year). However, if you are determined to see yours bloom again, dig up your tubers for the winter, as described in the previous step. Ranunculus make a beautiful cut flower that generally remains healthy for awhile after being cut if measures are taken to preserve the cut. To preserve the life of cut ranunculus flowers, cut them early in the morning just as the buds are starting to open. A good clean cut using a sharp blade will help make the cut clean. Snip the stem at the base of the plant just about the crown and within the foliage. This avoids leaving exposed cut stems.

Summary: Feed your plants with ‘plant feed’ every 14 or so days. Water your ranunculus. Defend your ranunculus against pests. Remove withered flowerheads with sharp garden scissors. Allow your plant to ‘die back’ in the winter. Store the ranunculus inside during the winter if you live in a climate that gets heavy frost. Understand that many gardeners view ranunculus as annuals. Preserve blooms that you cut.


How far is it between the top and bottom wires? How far is it around? If you are working with a paneled shade, simply take the measurement of each panel; if you are working with a circular shade, measure the circumference (3.14 x diameter). This is necessary to find out how long and wide your strips of fabric need to be and the amount that will cover your entire shade. This is where the shade becomes all your own. Use one style of material for a battered, distressed look or use all types of coordinating colors and patterns. Just make sure they're long enough!  Add one extra inch for the seam allowance. This is needed to wrap around the wire frame.  If your lamp is 20" (51 cm) around, make sure you have fabric that, in total, amounts to at least 22" (56 cm) wide. You need adequate overlap to keep the wire frame from showing. Of course, greater overlap than that is always safe, too. If each strip of fabric is 2" (5 cm) across, have at least 11 strips of fabric ready. This ensures that it stays neat, doesn't fray, and looks professional. The edges will only be seen from the inside of your lamp. If you're pressed for time or simply can't be bothered, a simple trim is fine. Using your 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) on either side, affix the strip to the top of the shade with a staple gun, hot glue gun, or needle and thread. Repeat for the bottom.  If you use a hot glue gun and glue the material to the wire, you will not be able to gather the fabric when it's finished. If you use a staple gun, it's a good idea to add decorative trim around the top and bottom to obscure those tiny metallic lines from view. You can gather the material together if you stapled or used a needle and thread. Adjust the material to achieve the look you want. Beads, tassles, or extra ribbon can be added onto the top and bottom of your shade to hide any less-than-perfect areas or simply to add more flair.
Summary: Take the measurements of your frame. Cut strips of fabric. Hem, trim, or edge the fabric with ribbon. Attach the strips to the top and bottom of the lampshade. Adjust the strips and add trim (optional).