And I am assuming you have met their specific requirements like acid soil, good drainage but never allowing bone dry conditions, shade provided by high trees and shelter from drying winter winds. If you have and they are bad, then I haven't a clue why. It is difficult to give suggestions since they grow here wonderfully, if catered to with the above requirement.

Shirley, it's not unusual for rhododendrons to spend their first year or two in the ground developing their root systems and becoming established in place setting flower buds. If they were blooming when you planted them, those buds were set in nursery conditions and before the plants were 'disturbed' by being moved into your garden.

I don't know how bud hardy these are in your much harsher climate, but this year's lack of flowers could very well have happened anywhere.

I'm not familiar with the description quilled for leaves, and are the spots on your Catawba something you think are winter damage, or were you describing a leaf spot disease?

Shirley,

Growing rhodies and azaleas in our Great Lakes region is a challenge, but it can be done. My best results have come from following the planting and care instructions given by The Renegade Gardener, whose website is not only a hoot to explore, but focusses on growing things in zones 2, 3, and 4 (he's in the Twin Cities). Perservere, and you might be surprised and rewarded. Oh, and don't get too jealous of folks on the East and Wet Coasts, where these plants grow like weeds!

A.J.

Thanks to all of you for responding and offering advice. I have been using miracid on the rhodies and watering them regularly. They were covered with burlap all winter to protect them. The leaves feel like leather and are turned under almost into a cyclinder shaped (the nursery called this "quilling"). We have many large oak trees that shade the area where they're planted most of the day. I will check out the Renegade Gardener's advice and see if I can come up with some answers to all these problems. I do love rhodies and I hate to give up on them!

Thanks again!
Shirley

When you say covered with burlap, do you mean the whole plant was covered rather than a burlap screen around the plants? No air circulation would be bad for the plant. some problems may be due to that.

I checked with the nursery where I purchased the rhodies and was told to cover them completely with the burlap. If I decide to keep them I will try the burlap screen this coming winter. Someone else told me to try that and then fill the screen with marsh hay. A lot of people in our neighborhood grow the PJM with no problems. They do absolutely nothing to it (no fertilizer, no extra water, no screen, etc.) and it blooms like crazy! Maybe I'm killing them with kindness!

I might be able to help on your bloom-leaf situation. I was told that after the bloom fades nip the bloom cluster off as soon as possible to encourage next years blooms. If you don't the plant will spend to much energy producing seeds and won't bloom as well the following year.

Merry, I wish I had some blooms to nip off! All I have is new leaves on the Catawba and the buds on the PJM never opened. Do you think I should cut the buds off the PJM now or just leave them and see what happens?

A.J., I looked at the Renegade Gardener website and enjoyed reading his articles. But I'm still not sure what to do at this point.

Thanks again for the advice!

In my experience the shock of the transplant means NO flowers the following year at least certainly for spring planting.
However if you are planting/transplanting in the fall you will get flowers the following spring (although there is a propensity for some of the flowers not to open at all) - but what I dont know is whether the FOLLOWING year the rhodie misses out on flowers as per spring planting above. Anyone know?

I'm in the same boat, so I'd like to know. We planted last spring. The leaves and the plant in general look as healthy as anyone would want; in fact, it's quite beautiful...even without the blossoms. But it sure would be nice to see some blooms. I suppose I have to wait til next year. The acid and water requirements have all been met.

I'm in Denver but the rhodo is in a well protected spot and suffered no dry winter winds, or anything like that.

Shirley- don't give up yet on them... Around here there are rhododendrons and azaleas everywhere... I've found the evergreen azaleas are much easier to grow than the rhododendron, even though they often reach 10ft+ here. I know of many people around here who find growing rhododendrons difficult, from the most tender ones to the "ironclads." In my experience, container grown plants transplant and catch better than those balled and burlaped. I don't know why??? I do know that *most* newly planted rhododendrons do not have good bud set the first year. It is a combination of transplant shock, and the shallow, unestablished root system simply not able to pump enough moisture and nutrients back into the plant... They eventually set good buds once well established. I've had terrible luck with the PJM's in my clay soil... I planted about six of them 5 years ago, and am now down to only one. The Rhododendron's appear to be much more susceptible to root rot, disease and dieback, especially in poorly drained soils. And of course they always appreciate an acidic soil along with a light mulch of pine needles... Too much mulch is worse than none at all... People make a big mistake and mulch around the bases of azaleas and rhododendrons and the plants literally suffocate to death. I don't see why they should not be hardy for you, once established. Many large specimens have come through our 1994 winter of -20F and bloomed that spring.

I've decided to keep trying with my rhodies. Both of them were "container" plants and not balled and burlaped. The Catawba's new leaves look healthy (unlike its old leaves which are almost entirely brown and quilled) so I'm going to keep watering it and hope for the best for next spring. The PJM shows no sign of any new leaves. The existing leaves are all quilled and "leathery" feeling. The buds are just "sitting" there. Should I prune it at all now or just leave it alone and see what happens??

We do have heavy clay soil here but I did amend it with oak leaf mulch when I planted them.

Thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions!

I hate to give you the bad news, but if the PJM is not showing any signs of growth by now, and it's leaves are quilled, that's not good... Sorry... It has happened to me more than once. Don't feel bad. I don't know what it is about the PJM's but it appears to me that they need a very well drained soil, and appear to do better in full sun versus a "sheltered" area. PJM's are probably the hardiest evergreen rhododendron's if you meet all of their cultural requirements. If you do have heavy clay, you may want to try mounding the plant next time, to aid in drainage. Maybe mix in some peat humus. Go easy on the Miracid though. I've had much better luck sprinkling some holly tone around the plants twice a year (April and June) and applying a light mulch of pine straw in fall--- that should be a sufficient amount of acid. Good luck...

Thanks, Doniki! I did another scratch test on the PJM and it is still green. As long as its still showing signs of life I guess I'll just wait for a while yet before I give up hope! I will try the holly tone next year.

Be careful also how much water you give them. Typically 1" per week of rain is enough once established, first year a bit more. If the soil at the base (under the mulch!) is not dry, you probably don't need to water.

Overwatering (and over-fertilizing) kills most new rhododendrons, especially if you have poor-draining soil. Don't water if the plant isn't showing signs of being dry if you've gotten rain recently, even for newly-planted plants. New growth on rhododendrons will wilt during the day if it's very hot; this is ok if the growth is firm and upright again by morning. New rhododendrons do need to be watered weekly if there's no rain or if temps are very hot, but be careful.

Also, don't cut the rootball when planting in general; if it's pot-bound tease the edges with a finger to get some of the root ends loose. If the soil drains poorly, be even more careful of overwatering. If it's hard clay, plant on top of the surface and surround it with a mix of loam, sand, and good humus, compost and/or peat.

Newly bought rhododendrons and azaleas (and pieris) shouldn't need any fertilization for a year and none in the soil when planted, and after that, a single or perhaps two applications in the spring of Hollytone or Osmocote in recommended coverage. Do not fertilize after June or you'll encourage it to put in new growth that won't be hardened for winter.

You can find a good primer on planting/etc at rhododendron.org:

Here is a link that might be useful: Rhodendron.org Plant Care