SELECTING A RHODODENDRON
Most people choose a rhododendron for its flower, which, according to one
long-time Seattle gardener, “is like marrying a woman for her Easter hat!”
Which is a shame. There are many rhododendrons that have year round beauty,
but the average gardener feels compelled to buy one only because of the
flowers, then ignoring the plant for 50 weeks of the year. Take time to
look at foliage coloration and shape, and the general stature of the plant.
Choose a rhododendron with interesting foliage be it the leaf shape, its color,
the indumentum (the fuzzy, teddy bear like hairs under the leaves)
or tomentosum (thick hairs on leaves). If you must have a rhododendron
with gorgeous flowers but dullish dull foliage then plant a clematis on
the back or north side of the bush to climb through it towards the sun
providing a second bloom to the shrub.
While the majority of rhododendrons do very well dappled or light shade,
most do not do well in deep shade. They just survive. Choose another
deep shade loving plant for that site. Many rhododendrons do very well
in morning or partial sun. Some even grow beautifully in full sun, as
long as the soil has lots of organic matter and a ready supply of
moisture for hot days.
When planting a rhododendron beneath trees make sure the trees
are pruned high, have deep questing roots, and canopies with dappled
light or shade. Dense evergreens and mat rooted maples are not good
sheltering trees for rhododendrons, creating dark or root greedy conditions.
If a rhododendron gets too big for its space, then it’s the wrong plant
for that area. Don’t set yourself up for a pruning battle. Choose a
rhododendron which grows to the height you want, and be patient.
While many can be hard pruned, the result is often a floppy mess.
A few will even outright die. The best way to prune is to remove about a
quarter of the entire mass of the plant each year. Right after flowering
and as late as early June is best.
Some good companion plantings for rhododendrons are ferns, epimediums,
evergreen carex, trillium, Japanese anemones, brunnera, smaller
hydrangeas, shrubby hypericums, hellebores, hardy cyclamen beneath
tall plants, colchicum, vinca, pachysandra, ophiopogons (mondo grasses),
lilies, clematis (matched to the size of the rhododendron), hostas,
sarcococca, shrubby dogwoods, fatsia, dicentras, and fatshedera.
Even Easter Bonnet rhododendrons would be lovely with company
such as these.