The proper way to grow rhododendrons

How do I keep my rhododendrons blooming in the spring?

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**FULL QUESTION** Dear *Gardening Life*, Three years ago, I planted a rhododendron which I have covered carefully each winter. I’ve improved the soil annually with triple mix and used aluminum sulfate according to the directions. Buds set each year, but rot in the spring instead of opening. The bed is surrounded by lawn on the north side of the house and gets full sun. Would it help if I dug up the plant and raised the bed? *—Gail Browne, Uxbridge, ON*

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**FULL ANSWER** Gail, That situation is terrible for rhodos. These are forest-edge plants and like a dappled shade, so it is being overexposed. Good drainage is also important; I suggest you take it out and plant it away from the grass on a slight rise or mound composed of humusy soil mixed with small bark chips. Rhodo roots are fine and silky and don’t compete well with something as dense as grass. Add a layer of compost every year and mulch with pine needles or shredded oak leaves if you can get them to keep the soil acidic. Rhodos take about four years to acclimatize so persistence will pay off. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Buying exotic plants in Toronto Preventing brown leaf spot Information on peony-flowered poppies Tips for growing tulips and lilies When to move irises Maintaining blue spruces The best way to grow gunneras Getting rid of sawfly larvae on roses Eliminating earwigs from clematis flowers Beetle damage to spruce trees Removing whiteflies from hibiscus leaves Building a cactus garden Maintaining redbud trees Maintaining Boston ivy growth Using black walnut leaves for mulch Stopping powdery mildew on maples Planting trees near a swale Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow

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