| Botanical Name: | Rhododendrons |
| Life Cycle: | perennial landscaping shrub |
| Planting Time: | spring or fall |
| Height: | 1' to 12' or more |
| Exposure: | partial shade |
| Soil: | rich, moist, well-drained soil with an acidic pH |
| Hardiness: | zones 5 to 8 |
| Bloom Time: | early spring to summer depending on zone |
| Flower Color: | white, pink, lavender, violet-blue, yellow, orange and red |
| Foliage Color: | green |
| Propagation: | cuttings |
| Suggested Use: | landscaping shrubs |
| Growing Hints: | Spring and fall are the best times to purchase and plant azalea and rhododendron clumps. If you buy whole balled or burlap wrapped plants, late summer is the best time for planting. You can grow both of these plants from 4 " cuttings taken in late spring and early summer. Dip cuttings in a rooting hormone, insert them into a moist propagating mix and cover them with plastic, making a mini greenhouse supported with bent wire. Advertisement |
| Interesting Facts: | Rhododendrons have 10 or more stamens, bell-shaped flowers, and leaves that are usually evergreen, while azaleas have 5 stamens, funnel-shaped flowers, and deciduous leaves. Gardeners see these as two different plants, but botanists lump them into one genus (group). |
This page contains the following solutions.
Spring and fall are the best times to purchase and plant azalea and rhododendron clumps. If you buy whole balled or burlap wrapped plants, late summer is the best time for planting...
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Last year in early April, we bought a large ranch style home in the countryside outside Molalla in Oregon. It has 40 acres and the area around the house is wooded. We have a horseshoe drive in front of the house which is lined with very old large beautiful rhodies (rhododendrons).
Here's a good link for diagnosing what's wrong with your rhodies:
plantclinic.cornell.edu/
Zone 8 seems kind of warm for rhodies... But you can always cut them back to about 12 inches high and let them regrow. If they don't send out new growth, then they were probably beyond repair.
We had one by our back porch that was quite old and decided to cut it down ... well it came back in and proliferated. Give it a shot!
Syd's 2¢
My rhododendron "Bambino" has few leaves and they are scraggly. It has lovely blooms, but looks "ill". What can I do to improve its leaf growth?
By Jack from Chilliwack
You are going to need to dig around the roots and loosen the dirt. Then give this poor plant some good fertilizer to nurse it back to health.
Rhododendrons and other acid loving plants need special fertilizer. Go to any garden store.
