I grow rhododendrons on my east side. Though the plants are healthy, the flowers do not last long when they are exposed to the sun. For example, the blooms will last 4-5 days on the shrubs but if you cut them when they begin to open and put them in a vase in the house and not exposed to direct sunlight, they will last 2 weeks.

Thanks for the info. BTW: How far back do you cut them?

The best situation for most rhododendrons is morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled shade all day. Nova Zembla is a tough and widely grown hybrid, but since there's no indication of the op's hardiness zone, it's hard to tell how it will do with an eastern exposure. In zones 6 and lower, it will probably be fine. In zones 7 and higher it would be much more risky because of the increased heat. In common with almost all red rhododendrons, the blossoms of Nova Zembla will not look as good or last as long in harsh direct sun as they would with some shade.

We really need to know your gardening zone, approximate location before being able make suggestions...

My mild, cool Spring and cloudy Summer Z8b....just fine in full sun - here that would mean open locations without protection of trees or shade cast by buildings. Sun when we have it would only occasionally be described as harsh ;)

This post was edited by morz8 on Sun, Jan 18, 15 at 21:57

Agree with morz. Gardenweb ought to have a policy of forcing new members to give a general indication of their whereabouts. Many questions are unanswerable w/o knowing location, at least vaguely.

On Tatoosh Island, WA, Nova Zembla would be perfectly happy in full sun. It would probably need to be in full sun. In Richmond, VA or Sacramento, CA, it would die in full sun.

{{gwi:2122328}}I live an hour NW from Philadelphia and have Nova Zembla in full sun, full southern exposure with no shade at all. Here, Nova Zembla is an interesting plant in that it is a good red that does well in full sun, fairly heavy shade, severe cold, and severe heat. Hence it is called an iron-clad. It still requires an acidic soil with good drainage. Also, a good mulch layer helps it get through the major challenges such as drought, summer heat, winter cold, etc. I have seen Nova Zembla grown in the mountains south of here all the way to Oklahoma. It is tough if sited correctly. The further south the more shade and the better the drainage needs to be.