trimming rhododenrons

Hello gardeners,

this is a new site for me, and hoped you all might be able to help.

when is the best time to trim rhododendrons ? Some of our have bloomed well this year but are too high and need to be cut back. I can see new buds on the old flower heads. Advice please.

Many thanks

DJD

If they must be trimmed back, then the best time to do it is immediately after flowering. This will allow the plant time to set new flower buds for next year.

Hi,

I was lucky enough to speak to a member of the Scottish Rhododendron Society at Gardening Scotland who advised me to prune after flowering, and to do it over a three year period, i.e. a third each year - this gives new growth a chance to get going and still gives some lovely flowers each year!

I did my first prune last year, and still got a great amount of flowers - if the rain stops for a while, i'm hoping to get this years done!