{"id":3299,"date":"2014-11-27T00:20:23","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T07:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3299"},"modified":"2014-11-23T02:57:29","modified_gmt":"2014-11-23T09:57:29","slug":"rhododendron-tips-after-flowering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/rhododendron-tips-after-flowering\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhododendron Care and Deadheading after Flowering"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3303\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/rhododendron-tips-after-flowering\/attachment\/now\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3303\" title=\"now\" src=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/now.jpg\" alt=\"now\" width=\"448\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/now.jpg 448w, https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/now-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nIt is hard to know where to start with Rhododendrons and the 850+ species. Perhaps a good  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0881927236\/richardpettin-21\">book<\/a> will help the beginner get an overview.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0881927236\/richardpettin-21\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/images.amazon.com\/images\/P\/0881927236.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg\" alt=\"Book Cover\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Failing that there is membership of the RHS specialist section The Rhododendron, Camellia &amp; Magnolia Group.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rhodogroup-rhs.org\/\">www.rhodogroup-rhs.org\/<\/a> This society controls &#8216;The International Rhododendron Register and Checklist&#8217; of the named 29,000 +varieties, cultivars and group names.<\/p>\n<h3>Gardenerstips<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Look out for plants with the Award of Garden Merit including the following Lepidote species Augustinii, Edgeworthii, Keiskei, Racemosum and Yunnanense.<\/li>\n<li>Elepidote species are generally larger and AGM&#8217;s include Niveum, Morii, Fluvum, Arboreum and Decorum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Soon the display of colourful Rhododendrons will falter and be over for another year. I still like the leaf colours, textures and shapes and Rhododendrons are easy to for.<br \/>\nThere are some good tips to get a great show next spring, it is never to early too  start.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3302\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/rhododendron-tips-after-flowering\/attachment\/rhodo-seed-heads\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3302\" title=\"rhodo-seed-heads\" src=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/rhodo-seed-heads.jpg\" alt=\"rhodo-seed-heads\" width=\"448\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/rhodo-seed-heads.jpg 448w, https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/rhodo-seed-heads-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Deadheading Rhododendrons<\/h3>\n<p>On the above photo the petals have just fallen and the long,\u00c2\u00a0 tubular seedheads are just beginning to form.<br \/>\nIt is not worth letting the seedheads fill up and develop as you are unlikely to be trying to breed your own from seed. So any energy put into the seedheads is energy lost from next years plant and flowers.<br \/>\nIf you look closely on the next picture you will see that at either side of the seed spikes there are leaf buds. Generally there are <strong>two leaf buds for each dead flower<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3300\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/rhododendron-tips-after-flowering\/attachment\/pinch-twist\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3300\" title=\"pinch-twist\" src=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/pinch-twist.jpg\" alt=\"pinch-twist\" width=\"448\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/pinch-twist.jpg 448w, https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/pinch-twist-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It can be a long job on a large Rhododendron but I pinch out the seedheads to divert energy back to the shrub and give the leaf buds space to develop.<br \/>\nPinching the often sticky seedsheads, I <strong>give a twist<\/strong> to break the stem just above the new leaf joint. It only takes a little practice, you soon pick up the knack without causing any damage. To me it is therapeutic on a warm spring afternoon to be helping channel the natural energy into plants that have given so much pleasure already.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3301\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/rhododendron-tips-after-flowering\/attachment\/leaf-buds-left\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3301\" title=\"leaf-buds-left\" src=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/leaf-buds-left.jpg\" alt=\"leaf-buds-left\" width=\"448\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/leaf-buds-left.jpg 448w, https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/leaf-buds-left-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here you can see the seeds have been removed and added to the compost heap. The light green new buds will generate leaves and new branches that can develop in the space now vacated.<br \/>\n<strong>Failing to deadhead<\/strong> is not to say leaving the shrub to its own devices will be a failure but as we are growing for ornamental purposes every bit to care helps. In the wild Rhododendrons manage quite nicely thank you without this TLC.<\/p>\n<h3>Rhododendron Care after Flowering<\/h3>\n<p>Try some <a href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/housekeeping-for-small-rhododendrons\/\">commonsense housekeeping<\/a> but leave the pruning shears in the shed.<br \/>\n<strong>New flower buds<\/strong> for next year are formed on Rhododendrons during summer so I try keep them well supplied with water.<br \/>\nRhododendrons are shallow rooted so they like a drink and an occasional feed of ericaceous fertiliser.<br \/>\nAfter flowering and a wet spell in late spring I often give the Rhododendrons a <strong>top dressing of peat<\/strong> (Agh! I hear some of you say but it is the natural ericaceous medium for Rhododendrons).<br \/>\nI also sometimes spray with diluted<a href=\" http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/B003MPGHOI\/richardpettin-21\"> Miracle Grow<\/a> ericaceous fertiliser.<br \/>\nKeep the area <strong>weed free<\/strong>. I find the canopy of Rhododendron leaves works well keeping weeds down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is hard to know where to start with Rhododendrons and the 850+ species. Perhaps a good book will help the beginner get an overview. Failing that there is membership of the RHS specialist section The Rhododendron, Camellia &amp; Magnolia Group. www.rhodogroup-rhs.org\/ This society controls &#8216;The International Rhododendron Register and Checklist&#8217; of the named 29,000 +varieties, cultivars and group names. Gardenerstips Look out for plants with the Award of Garden Merit including the following Lepidote species Augustinii, Edgeworthii, Keiskei, Racemosum&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/rhododendron-tips-after-flowering\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,10,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trees-and-shrubs","category-flowers","category-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3299\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}