Gardening Tips on Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons are very popular shrubs for the garden and quite rightly so. For some, a spring garden is not a spring garden unless it includes a rhododendron. There are many rhododendron hybrids available today of varying sizes and plenty of choice of colour of rhododendron flowers.

The Right Shrub for your Garden?

The first gardening tip for rhododendrons is to take a close look at your garden and consider whether it is the best shrub for your garden. By this I do not mean whether you have the right soil and aspect but the size of your plot. Rhododendrons are beautiful when in flower but the flowering period is very short. Yes, there are small rhododendrons available but if you have a very small town garden for example, maybe there are small shrubs or plants that will give you a longer flowering period and provide better structure and interest.

Soil Conditions

Rhododendrons require a moist, lime free soil, preferably peaty or medium to light loam. If you are not sure about the PH level of your soil, it is well worth purchasing a soil testing kit. You do not have to go for anything expensive, small and inexpensive ones are available and compared to the price of your new rhododendron the cost is minimal.

If you have inherited an established garden or have moved into a new home, take a look around you. Are your neighbours growing health acid loving plants? I have to include here a word of warning which is from personal experience. I moved to a garden that had several healthy rhododendrons and planted an acid loving shrub in the side garden where no shrubs of this type were situated. It struggled and the first thought was that maybe it was a bit dry. No, the soil was wet enough. The leaves started to change from a healthy green colour to a sickly yellow, a sure sign of an acid loving plant in alkaline soil. Testing the soil confirmed the diagnosis but it raised the question why just this piece of garden? The border is next to the west facing wall of the house and during bad weather gets battered by wind and rain. The mortar is quite soft and I suspect that since 1925 when the house was built lime from the mortar has been leaching out into the soil and changed the PH level. I moved the shrub to another part o f the garden and nursed it back to full health. It just goes to prove you should not take anything for granted when planting up a rhododendron garden.

If your soil proves to be alkaline do not despair, there are plenty of beautiful shrubs that like those conditions.

Over the years I have read articles suggesting that you can dig a hole, fill it with ericaceous compost, leaf mould, peat etc. and your rhododendron will grow away fine. Yes, for a short time maybe but over time rain will lime from the surrounding soil into your carefully prepared plot and change the PH level.

A far better solution is to plant your rhododendron in a large container filled with ericaceous compost. Now the problem of how to water it. If you have a large water but and can capture rain water that is fine. If not and you have to use tap water, are you in a part of the country that has a lot of lime in the domestic water?

Aftercare

When and if practical, remove faded flower heads from your rhododendron plants before they set seed. This is achieved by snapping each dead flower head off at the base of its stem, taking care not to damage any young growths.

If like me you have inherited an established and very large rhododendron, you will find this very difficult to achieve!

If you have a rhododendron in a tub or a pot, loosen up the surface of the compost and top dress with ericaceous compost. If it is in the ground, top dress with a product such as leaf mould. At one time the recommended top dressing was peat but this practice is now discouraged with the threat to the environment that peat extraction brings.

In my Garden

It is difficult to suggest a rhododendron for your garden as there is such a wide choice of colour and size.

There are several in my garden that I inherited and do not have a clue of the name.

Three favourites I have brought in myself are:

Rhododendron Pink Pearl: A classic deep pink large flowered rhododendron

Rhododendron Luteum; A small flowered but beautifully scented yellow

Rhododendron Yakushima Hybrid: This is a medium sized shrub that starts a lovely pink and fades to a light pink almost white.

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