We had a very large rhododendron growing next to the house.
Unfortunately, we had a house fire, which damaged part of the top of
the bush and caused all the lower leaves to fall. It looks pretty
scrawny right now.

I understand you can rejuvenate these bushes by cutting back a third
each year. Is that correct? What will happen to the bush? If I cut
back a third, there won't be a whole lot of foliage left. I would
appreciate any advice on how to bring this back to a healthy state.
TIA.


--


limey at toad dot net

Message 58 in threadFrom: limey )
Subject: Rhododendron *
limey at toad dot net wrote:

I understand you can rejuvenate these bushes by cutting back a third
each year. Is that correct? What will happen to the bush? If I cut
back a third, there won't be a whole lot of foliage left. I would
appreciate any advice on how to bring this back to a healthy state.

If necessary, you can remove a great deal of material. It is a general
rule to not remove over 1/3 of the leaf area each year. Pruning is
generally used to control unsatisfactory height or width of a plant. I
don't prune very often and try to limit pruning to plants which have a
shape that is unsatisfactory or dead branches. If I want to cut
trusses for bouquets, I always cut the tallest flowers since this
helps keep the plant within bounds.

Severe pruning is not uncommon with rhododendron and azaleas. A
healthy plant can be cut to the ground and will usually come back.
Rhododendron and azaleas have dormant buds beneath the bark which
sprout to form new growth after severe pruning.

After pruning, spraying with a fungicide may prevent infection.

In article ,
(Steve Henning) wrote:

Message 58 in threadFrom: limey )
Subject: Rhododendron *
limey at toad dot net wrote:

I understand you can rejuvenate these bushes by cutting back a third
each year. Is that correct? What will happen to the bush? If I cut
back a third, there won't be a whole lot of foliage left. I would
appreciate any advice on how to bring this back to a healthy state.

If necessary, you can remove a great deal of material. It is a general
rule to not remove over 1/3 of the leaf area each year. Pruning is
generally used to control unsatisfactory height or width of a plant. I
don't prune very often and try to limit pruning to plants which have a
shape that is unsatisfactory or dead branches. If I want to cut
trusses for bouquets, I always cut the tallest flowers since this
helps keep the plant within bounds.

Severe pruning is not uncommon with rhododendron and azaleas. A
healthy plant can be cut to the ground and will usually come back.
Rhododendron and azaleas have dormant buds beneath the bark which
sprout to form new growth after severe pruning.

After pruning, spraying with a fungicide may prevent infection.


Apropos of very little (except of rhododendrons), I got a phone call today
from a chap my sweety knows from work, asking me how much of "an
overgrown rhododendron" he dared to chop off. He wanted to chop it clear
to the ground! I had him describe it to me & though he used negative
terms like "overgrown" & "frightful" & "blocks the entry view," it sounds
like it could actually be a wonderful old specimen -- & the only reason he
wants to butcher it is so he can see from a window anyone who walks up to
his house. I tried to talk him out of it & he ended up asking if I'd come
over & dig it out of the ground & just take it away, because it's simply
in his way. So Monday or Tuesday I'm going over to his place & if it's a
crappy shrub I'll show him where I think he can after all cut it back
dramaticly & let it regrow so very slowly. But if I like it, it's mine for
free, though I plan to offer him a little azalea in trade if he wants it
(or a dwarf viburnum I recently dug up & potted, giving its spot to a
newly obtained dwarf rhody I like vastly better), cuz sounds like he
basically just doesn't want any big shrubs, hard as that is for me to
imagine.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

paghat wrote:
In article ,
Apropos of very little (except of rhododendrons), I got a phone call
today from a chap my sweety knows from work, asking me how much of
"an overgrown rhododendron" he dared to chop off. He wanted to chop
it clear to the ground! I had him describe it to me & though he used
negative terms like "overgrown" & "frightful" & "blocks the entry
view," it sounds like it could actually be a wonderful old specimen
-- & the only reason he wants to butcher it is so he can see from a
window anyone who walks up to his house. I tried to talk him out of
it & he ended up asking if I'd come over & dig it out of the ground &
just take it away, because it's simply in his way. So Monday or
Tuesday I'm going over to his place & if it's a crappy shrub I'll
show him where I think he can after all cut it back dramaticly & let
it regrow so very slowly. But if I like it, it's mine for free,
though I plan to offer him a little azalea in trade if he wants it
(or a dwarf viburnum I recently dug up & potted, giving its spot to a
newly obtained dwarf rhody I like vastly better), cuz sounds like he
basically just doesn't want any big shrubs, hard as that is for me to
imagine.

-paghat the ratgirl

I too like my shrubs/trees to get as large as their genes allow but I don't
want large anything obscuring my house and making it all that much easier
for bad people to do bad things to me or my loved ones.

--
Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5