Rhododendron

[Natalie]

I've lived at my house for about a year now. There's a rhododendron in the front that I *thought* must have bloomed before we moved in. Now I come to find out that it barely blooms at all. We got 2 flowers on the whole thing this year, it's maybe 1.5 ft tall and wide. Does it need pruning? When? Fertilizing? With what? OR should I just pull it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lesa]

Do you have deer around you? If the bushes are not covered in the winter, the deer love to snack on the buds that are set for spring...I would keep watch, and see if buds develop in the late summer. No buds, no flowers. I have seen some huge, very old bushes that still continue to blossom. Don't give up on it yet!

 

[Natalie]

No deer that close to the house, it's about 3 feet from the front window.

 

[robbobbin]

My rhodie likes a lot of morning sun then some shade through the hot mid day. I also spread pine needle type mulch on their ground once a year-that of course will depend on your PH.
maybe test your soil and pay attention to the light they are getting??
A little tlc-is sure worth it for these beauties! IMO

 

[Reinbeau]

Rhodies next to foundations generally don't do all that well because the lime leaches from the concrete of the foundation and sweetens the soil too much. Do a pH test and see what's up - if it's 6 or above the plant won't do well at all there.

 

[Natalie]

I actually have a permanent wood foundation, so lime's not a problem. The limitations with it are that I have to make sure the root systems of nearby plants stay small as to not penetrate the seal on the wood, and I should not water excessively near the foundation. After looking up the size that some rhododendrons can get, I have a feeling the roots may get pretty big. I guess the next step is to determine what variety it is.

On a better note, I discovered that I have a flowering almond (which seems to have been neglected for some years) and I really like it!

Ah, the fun of buying a house when there's still snow on the ground! Full of surprises!