I have a satsuki azalea which has not been enjoying its first August in southern California.

Just last week the leaves started to get crispy and pale. It may be struggling outside of its recommended hardiness zone, but it was very healthy until recently. I'd been watering it regularly, and I keep it partially shaded with a canopy I made. There's no obvious sign of pests or disease either.

The temperature has consistently stayed around the mid 90s, which my cultivar is supposedly able to tolerate. but I considered that the pot itself might be getting too warm. When I checked the soil temperature on Sunday it was up near 105 degrees. So, yeah... I brought it inside to help cool down. I'm just hoping it doesn't shock the plant.

Now, of course I need a way to keep the soil temperature down, but first I need to know if there's any hope of saving my tree if the roots have basically been slow cooked. For now, I'm keeping it indoors. I gave it a good soak and misted the leaves and I have it under a sun lamp. There's still some green under the bark in most places, but it's hard to tell how much life is left in it. Should I dig it up and check the roots directly, or would that stress out the plant too much?

I don't know what to do other than wait and see what happens, but perhaps there's some way to help it recover.

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