Outstanding, thanks for posting a photo. She must not have deer, the darn things eat off half the buds on our 20+ year-old, 4x6 rhodie that is sadly unprotected in our front yard.

But just a baby by PNW standards

For sure, And by English standards also.

But such specimens are rare in our CDN hardiness zone.

I agree :-) But it wasn't until visiting the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden nearby or a friend of my parents that grew some massive arboreal species when I was still growing up did I realize just how enormous rhododendrons have the potential to grow in a suitable climate.

Now I intentionally look for smaller or more compact forms for my design clients as few of them have the space to accommodate these monsters. And thankfully that includes a lot of the modern hybrids.

I was just outside pruning back rhodies that face my entry patio. This is not a space that needs or can accommodate very large shrubs and they can easily put on a good 12" of growth a season. But they are much too attractive when in bloom - covered in blood red flowers - to remove and replace and besides, I am just a tenant here :-)

What grabbed my attention in the picture was not the rhodie but the lilac behind it! I tried growing rhodies here but they alway died after a year or so. Soil is not acid here and is also too heavy and prone to dryness. The neighbour to the north grows some nice ones in a raised bed though.

I love the shape! The ones I see around here are pruned to a fare-thee-well and don't even look like real plants!

Gardengal, I have the same problem of a too big (actually more than one) rhodie overhanging the walkway and am curious about your pruning method. I am nervous about pruning it back but tired of getting drenched when walking by it. It is a Kimberly and I own up to planting it to close to the walkway when it was a wee small thing...

rouge21, your neighbor’s is lovely. Please pass on our compliments to her.

cercis, the reds I prune back have a very lax, rangy habit...they do not form neat little (or even large) mounds :-) I just cut back any too long or very rangy stems back to a node or where they emerge from a larger stem. In some cases I will take a entire branch back to the trunk or one of the main stems.

IME, it is hard to hurt a rhody by pruning :-) Even lopping the enitre plant off at nearly ground level is unlikely to kill it (at least here in the PNW) as it just forces the backbudding of latent buds located under the bark just about anywhere on the plant.

btw, this rhody got flattened by our heavy February snowstorm, so is even more sprawly than usual. I am taking a heavier hand to it this season in hopes to generate more upright growth in the center. It will look awkward for awhile but should respond nicely given some time.

The other, even larger rhodies out in the garden I never touch. They get a lot more sun and have a much better, more upright form. And they are far enough away that I don't bother deadheading either. I only spend time doing that on the ones I walk by on a daily basis :-) They are also too tall to reach most of the old flowerheads without a ladder.

Oh yes -- she's beautiful! I don't bother with rhodies or azaleas, they just don't perform well here; same with kalmia. The exception is the deciduous azaleas, they do great here; I wish they weren't so mildew prone, though -- otherwise, I'd definitely have more than the grouping of four I have. (I think they're "White Lights" but don't remember off the top of my head).

I like the combo of lilac and rhodie. The colors look delightful together.

I love that your neighbor takes such pride in her wonderful shrub and the story of her moving it so long ago.

And I especially love how she has people over to view it every year.

thanks for posting

gardengal, thank you for your insight on pruning rhodies. I am going out to try my hand on the Kimberly today.