We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

From what I have read etc. it would seem that they will like the
acidity etc. but I'm not quite sure if the ground will be damp enough
for them. Although there is a lot of humus the underlying ground is
sandy and well drained so it's relatively dry and rainfall is low
(we're in Suffolk) - though you might not think so just at the moment!

So, will rhododenrons be OK?

--
Chris Green

HI Chris

On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

From what I have read etc. it would seem that they will like the
acidity etc. but I'm not quite sure if the ground will be damp enough
for them. Although there is a lot of humus the underlying ground is
sandy and well drained so it's relatively dry and rainfall is low
(we're in Suffolk) - though you might not think so just at the moment!

So, will rhododenrons be OK?

A 'non-expert' response.......

There were quite a few rhodies that we use to pass on the way into
Woodbridge - just alongside RAF Woodbridge. The general situation
there was sandy heathland (much like your location) - so I'm guessing
that they'd be perfectly happy....

There were also quite a few on the road down towards Orford - though
that did appear to be a bit more damp.....

From experience many years ago working as a volunteer for the National
Trust, once you get them established rhodies are pretty well
indestructible - and will become quite invasive - so they're perhaps
not as 'tender' as one might think....

Maybe you could do something to give them a bit more 'local' dampness
- along the lines of planting broad beans in a trench lined with damp
newspaper - but again - I'm guessing ! g

Hope this helps
Adrian

I, and plenty of my neighbours, grow (small) rhodies on dry stony ground in the Chilterns, fortunately not chalky where we are, but we sit in a small local micro-climate that has lower summer rainfall than most places in the Chilterns. I water them in dry weather (last year I was watering in Feb, very pleased with this winter's rainfall), and mulch the soil with bark to reduce water loss, and use special acid plant fertiliser, and scatter a bit of ferrous sulphate once a year to keep up the acidity.

Sandy soil with plenty of humus sounds ideal if you are prepared to water them in dry spells. They flower best if well fed - feed them especially just after flowering to recover their energy, and remember their flower buds build during winter. I have a couple of early flowering ones which need fleecing if frost threatens just before flowering time. I have found the evergreen and semi-evergreen types do better for me, perhaps the tougher leaves loose less water.

On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

From what I have read etc. it would seem that they will like the
acidity etc. but I'm not quite sure if the ground will be damp enough
for them. Although there is a lot of humus the underlying ground is
sandy and well drained so it's relatively dry and rainfall is low
(we're in Suffolk) - though you might not think so just at the moment!

So, will rhododenrons be OK?


Rhodies do need plenty of water, especially in hot dry weather and
when they're in full growth. When you plant them, dig in plenty of
organic matter such as leafmould, compost from your own heap or peat
if you have neither of those. This will help retain moisture in the
soil, as well as restoring some life to it to make up for the ravages
of the Leylandii. Remember they like acid conditions, and most general
purpose composts from garden centres are slightly alkaline. The
exception is ericaceous compost. Don't plant them any deeper than they
are in the pot when you get them, and after planting give them a good
thick mulch of leafmould or peat, but if your own compost contains a
lot of soil, I wouldn't use it for mulching. The mulch must be coarse
to let the rhodie roots breathe. Some shade is also a good idea, but
if you've recently removed some leylandii, I don't imagine there'll be
much of that.

Newly planted rhodies should be watered in well, and will require more
attention in their first season than well-established rhodies. Rhodies
that are suffering stress due to drought will show it by wilting, but
ideally you should get them watered before that happens. In really
hot, dry weather I would water at least every ten days. Spraying the
foliage in the evenings is also a good idea, especially if the soil
appears moist but the plant is still wilted. Remember to use acid
water, preferably rainwater as tap water is often treated to make it
alkaline, if it's not alkaline naturally. If you can't get enough
rainwater and your tap water is alkaline, add a couple of cc of
vinegar to each watering-can, but no more. A peat mulch can form a dry
crust that sheds water and stops it reaching the roots. In this case
lightly disturb the mulch with your fingers to break up the crust
before watering, but don't poke too deeply with e.g. a hoe as you'll
damage the surface roots. Adding a few drops of detergent also helps
the water to wet and penetrate the peat.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Chris Hogg wrote:
On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

From what I have read etc. it would seem that they will like the
acidity etc. but I'm not quite sure if the ground will be damp enough
for them. Although there is a lot of humus the underlying ground is
sandy and well drained so it's relatively dry and rainfall is low
(we're in Suffolk) - though you might not think so just at the moment!

So, will rhododenrons be OK?


Rhodies do need plenty of water, especially in hot dry weather and
when they're in full growth. When you plant them, dig in plenty of
organic matter such as leafmould, compost from your own heap or peat
if you have neither of those. This will help retain moisture in the
soil, as well as restoring some life to it to make up for the ravages
of the Leylandii. Remember they like acid conditions, and most general
purpose composts from garden centres are slightly alkaline. The
exception is ericaceous compost. Don't plant them any deeper than they
are in the pot when you get them, and after planting give them a good
thick mulch of leafmould or peat, but if your own compost contains a
lot of soil, I wouldn't use it for mulching. The mulch must be coarse
to let the rhodie roots breathe. Some shade is also a good idea, but
if you've recently removed some leylandii, I don't imagine there'll be
much of that.

Newly planted rhodies should be watered in well, and will require more
attention in their first season than well-established rhodies. Rhodies
that are suffering stress due to drought will show it by wilting, but
ideally you should get them watered before that happens. In really
hot, dry weather I would water at least every ten days. Spraying the
foliage in the evenings is also a good idea, especially if the soil
appears moist but the plant is still wilted. Remember to use acid
water, preferably rainwater as tap water is often treated to make it
alkaline, if it's not alkaline naturally. If you can't get enough
rainwater and your tap water is alkaline, add a couple of cc of
vinegar to each watering-can, but no more. A peat mulch can form a dry
crust that sheds water and stops it reaching the roots. In this case
lightly disturb the mulch with your fingers to break up the crust
before watering, but don't poke too deeply with e.g. a hoe as you'll
damage the surface roots. Adding a few drops of detergent also helps
the water to wet and penetrate the peat.

Thanks Chris, that is very useful.

--
Chris Green

On 27/2/07 20:50, in article ,
"Chris Hogg" wrote:

On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

From what I have read etc. it would seem that they will like the
acidity etc. but I'm not quite sure if the ground will be damp enough
for them. Although there is a lot of humus the underlying ground is
sandy and well drained so it's relatively dry and rainfall is low
(we're in Suffolk) - though you might not think so just at the moment!

So, will rhododenrons be OK?


Rhodies do need plenty of water, especially in hot dry weather and
when they're in full growth. When you plant them, dig in plenty of
organic matter such as leafmould, compost from your own heap or peat
if you have neither of those. This will help retain moisture in the
soil, as well as restoring some life to it to make up for the ravages
of the Leylandii.snip

I wonder if the OP has taken out the roots of the leylandii? If not, as
they rot down they will take nitrogen from the soil and that will affect the
Rhodies so that needs to be considered in terms of treatment. Would you
agree, Chris? I've never encountered these conditions myself with Rhodies
but would think it must be taken into consideration.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Chris Hogg wrote:
On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

Unless you have several acres, I would avoid rhododendrons, they can grow
bigger than leylandii, not in height, but in width, and they spread, and
they are not as easy to get rid of as leylandii.

Alan

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:28:50 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

On 27/2/07 20:50, in article ,
"Chris Hogg" wrote:

On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

From what I have read etc. it would seem that they will like the
acidity etc. but I'm not quite sure if the ground will be damp enough
for them. Although there is a lot of humus the underlying ground is
sandy and well drained so it's relatively dry and rainfall is low
(we're in Suffolk) - though you might not think so just at the moment!

So, will rhododenrons be OK?


Rhodies do need plenty of water, especially in hot dry weather and
when they're in full growth. When you plant them, dig in plenty of
organic matter such as leafmould, compost from your own heap or peat
if you have neither of those. This will help retain moisture in the
soil, as well as restoring some life to it to make up for the ravages
of the Leylandii.snip

I wonder if the OP has taken out the roots of the leylandii? If not, as
they rot down they will take nitrogen from the soil and that will affect the
Rhodies so that needs to be considered in terms of treatment. Would you
agree, Chris? I've never encountered these conditions myself with Rhodies
but would think it must be taken into consideration.

Possibly, but my experience of Leylandii roots is that they are not so
extensive that I would think them a real problem, as they only rot
away fairly slowly. The OP should anyway consider feeding his rhodies
with a high-nitrogen feed in spring, after flowering, to encourage
growth, and a high-potash feed in mid to late summer, say end July -
early August, to set flower bud for the following year, but I doubt if
feeding is necessary in the first year.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On 28/2/07 18:10, in article ,
"Chris Hogg" wrote:

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:28:50 +0000, Sacha
wrote:
snip

I wonder if the OP has taken out the roots of the leylandii? If not, as
they rot down they will take nitrogen from the soil and that will affect the
Rhodies so that needs to be considered in terms of treatment. Would you
agree, Chris? I've never encountered these conditions myself with Rhodies
but would think it must be taken into consideration.

Possibly, but my experience of Leylandii roots is that they are not so
extensive that I would think them a real problem, as they only rot
away fairly slowly. The OP should anyway consider feeding his rhodies
with a high-nitrogen feed in spring, after flowering, to encourage
growth, and a high-potash feed in mid to late summer, say end July -
early August, to set flower bud for the following year, but I doubt if
feeding is necessary in the first year.

With regard to the roots, I imagine this must depend on the age and size of
the trees. But I think the OP should be aware of a possible problem there.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Alan Holmes wrote:

Chris Hogg wrote:
On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

Unless you have several acres, I would avoid rhododendrons, they can grow
bigger than leylandii, not in height, but in width, and they spread, and
they are not as easy to get rid of as leylandii.

We have about 9 acres actually! :-)

The rhododendrons will be welcome to spread to an extent, though they will be
confined on one side by a small road and on the other by our chickens.

--
Chris Green

wrote in message
...
Alan Holmes wrote:

Chris Hogg wrote:
On 26 Feb 2007 09:40:04 GMT, wrote:

We have a site where we have cleared a number of large (i.e 50ft
high)
Leylandii and we're thinking of planting some rhododendrons there.

Unless you have several acres, I would avoid rhododendrons, they can grow
bigger than leylandii, not in height, but in width, and they spread, and
they are not as easy to get rid of as leylandii.

We have about 9 acres actually! :-)

The rhododendrons will be welcome to spread to an extent, though they will
be
confined on one side by a small road and on the other by our chickens.

--
Chris Green

Not all Rhodies are as rampageous as the common ponticum which is still a
good doer. In fact some of these could be your best bet in a large area.
When and if they are not required they rip out of the ground in one piece,
assuming you use chains and a Landrover:-)