Spring is here and as the rhododendrons start to bloom, it’s no wonder that they were selected to be Washington’s state flower in 1892. Their versatile nature makes them a beautiful addition to many Northwest gardens. Keeping them heathy and their size
manageable can usually be accomplished with occasional pruning.

Regular maintenance of your rhodie can be done immediately after the blooms start to
fade. Deadheading, or removing the spent flower clusters, called trusses, allow the shrub
to focus its energy on new growth rather than producing seed. Deadheading can be done
by snapping off the trusses by hand or removing them with clippers. Put on your favorite
playlist and enjoy the time in your garden. Be sure to wear gloves, as the flower trusses
tend to be sticky.

As you see new foliage shoots developing after the flowers are removed, you can help the
Rhodie stay more compact by snapping off all the single shoots you see. This encourages
the regrowth of multiple shoots that grow shorter rather than just one that gets long and
leggy.

Next, look for any damaged, diseased or dead branches and remove them. If a branch is
diseased, be sure to cut it back to the healthy wood and disinfect your clippers with
rubbing alcohol so as not to spread the disease to other branches. Weak branches,
branches touching the ground or crossing over others should also be removed. This will
help increase air flow and encourage new growth.

Sometimes rhododendrons need a bit of shaping to enhance their look or reduce their
size. When cutting back a rhodie with whorled leaves, a lepidote, where the leaves grow
close together all around the stem, find the whorl closest to the size you want and make a
cut 1/4-inch above the whorl. You can also look at the branch for any bumps, or buds, and
make your cut just above those. By doing that you will stimulate them to produce new
shoots. If your shrub has leaves that alternate all the way down the branch, elepidote, you
can make the cut above any of the leaves.

When a rhodie has become leggy, overgrown and not the robust beautiful shrub you want,
rather than replacing it you might want to consider giving it a reboot with a rejuvenation
pruning. This should be done in winter while it is dormant and involves cutting the primary
branches back to a few inches above the crown, or main trunk, of the shrub. Cut each one
to a different height for a more natural shape.

Rhodies are especially forgiving with drastic pruning because on their stems and branches you will see little pink dots that are dormant buds. When the branch is cut back, these buds jump into action to produce new branches. This will encourage new and thicker growth. Keep in mind, however, depending on how drastic the reboot is, it may take two or more years before it flowers again.

Rhododendrons are relatively low maintenance considering the wow factor they display
when they flower and their use as a great background plant when their show is over for the
season. They truly reflect the Northwest culture of adaptability, beauty, and enhancing the
world around them and will appreciate a little tender loving care along the way.

— By Heidi Coffee, owner of Coffee Grounds Garden Design, LLC