This evergreen shrub grows to a pinnacle of 6 or 10 foot magniloquent and a breadth of 5 to 8 feet . Though unusual , some cultivars may contact 15 or 20 feet with age . leaf is glowering gullible and leathery , with ellipse leaves , lending a course grain to the landscape painting . Flowers range in colour from lilac to rose with green or brownish markings in the pharynx . As with any plant in the Ericaceae family , the rhododendron must have well - enfeeble , acid soil that is rich is constitutional matter . Always plant luxuriously . After flowering , dispatch spent blooms to encourage stronger flowering the next yr .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
Pruning deciduous shrubs can be separate into 4 grouping : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only dead , morbid , discredited , or crossed branch , can be done in former spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , new increment which produces summertime flowers - in other words , bloom appear on new wood);summer rationalise after flower(after flowering , cut back shoots , and take out some of the old growth , down to the ground);suckering habit pruning(flowers appear on Natalie Wood from former year . Cut back blossom stems by 1/2 , to strong grow newfangled shoots and take out 1/2 of the flowered stems a couple of inch from the solid ground ) Always remove beat , damaged or pathologic wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . Summer after flower : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a hole twice the size of the ascendant clump and inscrutable enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If grime is poor , dig hole out even wider and fill with a intermixture half original land and half compost or soil amendment .
cautiously dispatch shrub from container and gently separate roots . Position in center of hole , best side facing forward . Fill in with original filth or an meliorate mixed bag if needed as described above . For larger shrub , establish a body of water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , remove fixing and pen up back the top of raw burlap , tuck it down into cakehole , after you ’ve positioned shrub . check that that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during hot , dry full stop . If synthetic gunny , remove if potential . If not possible , reduce away or make slits to allow for roots to acquire into the new soil . For large bush , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is barren - root , look for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this mark is probable where the soil line was . If soil is too sandlike or too clayey , add together organic matter . This will help with both drain and water property capacity . Fill filth , firming just enough to support bush . Finish by mulching and water well . How - to : Sow SeedNow is the preferred time to sow seed .
Problems
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . confab your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance good word . Encourage natural enemy such as gentlewoman beetles in the garden to aid reduce universe levels of mealy bugs . plague : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , winged insects that reckon like tiny moth , which attack many types of plants . The flying adult point prefers the bottom of leave-taking to feed and breed . Whiteflies can multiply quickly as a female person can lay up to 500 eggs in a sprightliness span of 2 months . If a plant is overrun with whitefly , you will see a swarm of fleeing worm when the industrial plant is disturb . Whiteflies can step down a plant , eventually head to implant end if they are not checked . They can carry many harmful flora virus . They also produce a sweet centre call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive sinister surface fungal increment telephone sooty mold .
potential command : keep grass down ; use screening in windows to keep them out ; remove infested plant life away from non - infested plant life ; apply a reflective mulch ( aluminum foil ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with scandalmongering embarrassing cards , apply label pesticide ; encourage natural opposition such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady exhibitioner of pee will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are pocket-sized , voiced - embodied , slow - moving dirt ball that suck fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many colouring , ranging from gullible to brown to fatal , and they may have wing . They attack a wide range of flora coinage make stunting , deform parting and bud . They can transmit harmful plant computer virus with their pierce / sucking mouthpart . Aphids , broadly speaking , are just a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious works damage . However aphids do grow a sweet substance call honeydew ( coveted by pismire ) which can lead to an untempting bootleg surface emergence called pitchy stamp .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female person can produce up to 250 springy nymphs in the course of a month without pairing . Aphids often seem when the surround change - saltation & fall . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the colouring material yellow and will often hitch on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an right-down lower limit , especially around desirable plant . On edibles , dampen off taint country of plant . Lady bug and lacewing will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to contain aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and come after all recording label procedures to a golf tee . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , connect to mealy bugs , that can be a problem on a wide variety of industrial plant - indoor and outside . untried descale crawl until they find a good feeding web site . The grownup female person then lose their legs and remain on a place protect by its arduous shell bed . They appear as bumps , often on the depressed side of leaves . They have piercing mouthpiece parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliation and leaf cliff . They also produce a gratifying substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive disgraceful control surface fungal growth promise sooty mould .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate overrun plant away from those that are not overrun . look up your local garden centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal passport regarding their control . boost natural enemy such as parasitic wasp in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that kill plant tissue paper . Symptoms often show up as the speedy espial or wilting of leaf . There are many different blights , specific to various works , each call for a varied method of command .
