Not for the small garden (Rhododendrons & Azaleas)

Member Name: January

Product:	Rhododendrons & Azaleas
Date:	27/04/04 (258 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice colour and lots of varieties

Disadvantages: Some to big for gardens

I think that most people have come across Rhododendron and Azaleas either in
people?s gardens or in the public parks. The white and pink varieties seem to be the
most popular.
Rhododendrons come in over 500 varieties and these include the Azaleas too, seeing
there isn?t much difference to the two, they both grow in the same type of soil and
come in either shrub, dwarf, compact or tree form.

I love the different colours and fragrances these plants produce, the only problem I
have is that there?s not enough room in my garden for more than two of these plants.
The name Rododendron comes from the greek names rhodon which means rose and
dendron which means tree and you can get plants which range from smalll shrubs to
large 60 foot trees.
I?d love to be able to say I have one of these huge varieties in my garden but I?m afraid the only place I?ve seen these is in the gardens of public parks, or stately homes. They are very impressionable though and I can imagine they need lots of care and attention to get them to their full height.
Still my little Elizabeth which grows only 3ft and spreads about 5-6ft and my Humming Bird which grows 4ft and spreads about 4-6ft wide are large enough for my garden.

You can buy lots of different varieties from the garden centre?s and if your looking
for a certain plant you can see if the garden centre can order it for you if they haven?t
got it in stock.
I don?t think you?ll be able to pick one of these up from a bootsale unless your in luck
as I have been looking for three years now to find them at bootsales and so far have
been unlucky.
I think you?ll probably pay anything from £4.99 upwards for a plant depending on
variety, size and colour.

Rhododendrons come from China, Asia, The Himalayas, Tibet, India and Burma and
the colours of the flowers range from white, pink, purple, yellow, red, scarlet and
orange. Most of them are evergr
een.

You can grow these plants from seeds or by taking cuttings, I think taking cuttings is
probably the best way. You can take your cutting in june to august from the young
growth on your plant. Put them in pots of equal parts of peat and sand when they are
rooted you can transfer them into bigger pots and grow under glass untill the april of
the next year when they will be ready to plant out.
It might take you a few tries to get your cutting to take but with perseverance you?ll
do it.

To prune a rhododendron or azalea is quite simple, it doesn?t need to be pruned
regular and all you have to do is to snip off the older stems, or the dying flowers
which will make them bushier.
They are also quite easy to move if you think they need more room just dig up around the base of the plant to get the roots up and plant in a well watered hole wherever you choose to move it too.

They can be prone to pests and disease so it?s good to check them every now and
again for white flies, brown leafage or yellow leafage. You can always get spray
treatments for them at the garden centre you bought them from if you need to treat
your plants.
The garden centre can also be helpful with advise if your not sure what sort of spray
you need.

Well, that?s about all really, have fun in your garden.

Summary: