In San Antonio, azaleas will need tons of soil amendments, but they thrive in East Texas Feb. 5, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Unless you're in the Piney Woods area of East Texas, you're likely to need a lot of soil amendments to get azaleas to thrive.Courtesy photo Q: We live in an area with sandy soil and we would like to plant azaleas. What kind of bed preparation will they require? A: Azaleas must have acidic soil (low soil pH). Soils in the Piney Woods area of East Texas fit that description, as will a few areas farther west. A soil test will tell you for sure.