Should rododendrons ever be pruned if so when.?
Question:My plants are rather spindly with few flowers so I wondered if they could be pruned to make them more attractive
Answers:
Rhododendrons can be pruned as much or as little as you like. The how and when are more important than how much, when it comes to pruning this species. Most pruning of large flowered Rhodys should be done in the early spring at blooming time. You lose some of the flower buds, but the plant will put its energy into producing the new growth buds, which will in turn provide the food and energy for the following years flower show
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/rhody.htm...
Large-leaved rhododendrons may be pruned anytime without harming the plant... http://www.rhododendron.org/v47n2p79.htm...
One of the most frequent questions of people new to rhododendrons is whether they should be pruned, and if so, when? The answer to both is, "It depends." http://www.eskimo.com/~enumclaw/tips/pru...
Rhodies can be pruned... it should be done right after they finish blooming. First remove any dead or crossing branches.Take them back to a viable bud by no more than one third of the total size of the plant. If you want to take it back more you can do it again the next year. The only thing that you risk by pruning them at the wrong time is that your next years' flowers may be removed. Look at the shape and make your cuts to encourage them to grow into a nice shape.
At end of flowering just remove the dead flower heads - that's all - don't prune if you can help it - they don't like it. Answer above is correct in some ways - but it depends on the variety of plant - wild Rhodies or derivitives closely related are much more robust and will accept pruning. The more hybrid they are - the less they like it
When the plants get old, they usually get spindly but put up new shoots from the base of the plant. Cut off the old wood and the basal shoots will grow into a new shrub. The best time to do this is in October. You might find it doesn't flower the following year, but it will the year after.
Access this Royal Horticultural Society website at :
www.rhodogroup-rhs.org/ - follow the link to the advice section and take it from there.
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