If asked to choose an evergreen flowering shrub, most of us would settle for Rhododendrons.
There are many varieties, some as tall as trees others dwarf, measured in inches rather than feet.
Azaleas belong to the same family, only many of these are deciduous. They all like planted in moist yet free draining soil which has to be acidic.
If you want to try one of these shrubs in your garden knowing that the soil is more on the alkaline side then it is essential that you add plenty of ericaceous compost when planting, and top dress with this every year just after flowering, keeping the compost clear of the stem of the shrub otherwise this will cause rotting.
After a number of years if shrubs are becoming too tall or gangly, you can prune them back. Do this after flowering, ok next season you will have much less flowers, better this than having to lose the shrub.
First of all cut out all the dead wood then get to grips with altering the height. You can take the stems which you want shortened well back to a point where there are leaves.
In no time at all your Rhododendron will look regenerated and flowering again in a couple of years.
One excellent variety is Loders white, flowers in Spring are white tinged pink, later turning pure white. This is a tall one ten/twelve feet, so not really for the smaller garden.
On a maintenance note, apparently if you remove the dead flower heads from Rhododendrons before the seedpods have developed, flowering will be improved the following year. Do not try to do this too soon after flowering, wait until the dead heads snap away with little effort.
Loders White
© 2006 – 2008, Alistair. All rights reserved.
