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This week along the Atlantic coast every ditch, bog, edge of woodland and roadside is covered in Rhodora in flower. As you land at the aiport you do so over bogs ablaze with it as well. Rhododendron canadense.john - +16c & sunny
Does anyone know of a source of Rhododendron tomentosum and Rhododendron groenlandicum in the UK/EEC?
Very nice! I once tried one in my garden but it died from unknown resons
Trond - If you remind me in late September I can send seed of the white and coloured. They grow very quickly.john
A lost label Rhododendron. Trouble is it has been in a congested bed and all the flowers and leaves are at the very top of the quite bare and straggley stems. After flowering has finished the bed will be sorted but this Rhododendron was a present from Maureen's late Mum and we want to keep it. What would be the best method of treating the plant please?
Pretty flowers, David - tho' I don't know what it might be.Most rhodos are very obliging in their willingness to regrow when cut back - but some are not - so for a precious plant like this it is wise to take a cautious approach. Cut back, to around 20cms from the ground, a couple of the branches that are most spoiling the shape. Be careful not to cut below any graft that the plant may have - but 20cms should be high enough to avoid that problem. In a few weeks, couple of months anyway, you should see the start of new growth from dormant buds on the stumps. Depending how vigorous that growth looks to be, you might feel brave enough to cut back a few more stems at that time.If you have a straggly or oversized plant that you are not terribly worried about then you could cut it all back at once. I wouldn't, on a precious plant, cut it all back at once even if new growth does seem to be breaking well. Leaving some stems with top growth can help to pull sap up the plant to encourage the dormant buds to break, I think - but - leaving too much if buds are breaking well might mean there is less "incentive" for the new growths to expand.A plant cut back in this way can either be left in situ - where you will be able to manage it in future within bounds of shape and size by judicious pruning - or make it easier to lift and move to a new position where it can regrow without restriction. I'd get it growing well after cutting back before I tried moving it though - no point in abusing the poor thing more than is absolutely necessary!Hope this helps!
