I got my first evergreen rhododendron ten years ago. I chose the site for planting the rhododendron in partial shade, under the crown of tall trees. The acidic soil these plants prefer was provided by nature itself.
Rhododendrons are deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen shrubs, less often small trees. Shoots are glabrous or sometimes pubescent, leaves are simple. Flowers in inflorescences, of various colors, from white to shades of purple-violet and yellow, with a height of 30 cm to 1 m. Rhododendrons are relatively easy to transplant, they have a compact, superficial root system. Despite this, it is preferable to use container-grown plants with a closed root system for planting.
grade "Daughter of the North"
My first rhododendron was blooming and happy. But the next spring it began to turn yellow, in the fall it completely wilted, and could not stand the winter.
In the same year, in the fall, she planted rhododendrons of the varieties "Elvira", "Maurits" and "Haaga" from the Finnish nursery, which are sold here in St. Petersburg. These plants winter well without shelter in our climatic zone (5a), successfully bloom and grow in summer. The "Haaga" variety forms rather tall bushes. In my garden, these plants are still young, but have already bloomed for three seasons, delighting with delicate pink-purple flowers. I almost lost one of the specimens when I loosened the soil under the bushes, close to the roots. The disturbed rhododendron began to shed its leaves, and I had to remove some of the dead branches. By the end of the summer, my rhododendron recovered and began to grow, it had new leaves.
grade "Helsinki University"
Now I have evergreen and deciduous rhododendrons, of Finnish selection, recommended for growing in climatic zones 3 - 4-5. These are the varieties "Haaga", "Elvira", "Maurits", "Helsinki University" and others.
Last fall, I purchased a new rhododendron variety "Daughter of the North", the most frost-resistant in my collection, up to -36 C.
grade "Mandarin light"
Rhododendrons are very responsive to nurturing care. For normal growth and development of plants, the soil must be fertilized once every 2-3 years. In the spring, I put one bucket of nutrient mixture, decomposed compost into the trunk circle. As soon as buds begin to appear on the bushes, I feed them with mineral fertilizers containing ammonium sulfate, superphosphate, potassium sulfate.
When the rhododendrons fade and start growing, I water the bushes abundantly for better regrowth of young shoots. Thanks to the care, young branches and leaves become denser and ripen.
grade "Daughter of the North"
For a successful overwintering, I water the bushes abundantly before the beginning of winter, until the soil is frozen. All my plants are frost-resistant, do not need shelter, only protection from breaking by snow, for winter I tie the branches of rhododendrons to the trunk, I put a support for the bush.
In the spring, after a snowy winter, the bushes gradually spread their branches and evergreen leaves. Buds enlarge and soon buds appear, scarlet, lilac, lingonberry, orange, white and lemon.
grade "Elvira"
author Dunaeva N.S., photo Tikhonov AlexanderRhododendrons different types suitable are grouped into three groups: deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen.
I want to tell the readers of the site about my experience in gardening near St. Petersburg.
Three years ago, the first evergreen rhododendron appeared in my garden. I chose in partial shade. The acidic soil these plants prefer is not a problem in the former swamp where our gardening is located.
Rhododendron bloomed all summer. But the next spring it began to turn yellow. By the fall, he completely wilted, but he could not bear the winter.
Then I began to study all the information that I found about the cultivation of rhododendrons. I realized that I had not bought a rhododendron, but; and that, of course, it is not hardy in our climatic zone (5).
I bought a Finnish rhododendron of the Elvira variety that same fall.
This plant is a low, dense bush that winters well without shelter in our region, successfully blooms and grows 4-5 cm over the summer.
After the first successful purchase, two more Finnish rhododendrons appeared in our garden - the "Haaga" varieties.
According to the description, this variety forms rather tall bushes. But in our country, these plants have not yet grown enough, but they have already bloomed, delighting with delicate pink-purple flowers.
However, I almost lost one of the copies. When a plant adjacent to the rhododendron was dug up, the nearby superficial roots of "Haagi" apparently suffered.
The disturbed rhododendron began to shed its leaves in the spring, and I had to remove some of the dead branches. I sprayed the remaining branches and leaves with the “Bud” preparation very often. Finally, my rhododendron recovered and began to grow, new leaves appeared. I think that this bush is unlikely to be able to bloom next spring - it is still weak.
Of course, they have the greatest decorative effect.
Rhododendrons deliver a lot of joy in May and June, when their low and high bushes are completely covered.
To all growers who like rhododendrons, who are thinking about growing these wonderful plants, I will give some advice.
- If your garden has acidic soil, then rhododendrons can be planted there.
- If you are looking for decorative-leaved and flowering woody plants that are easy to care for, then rhododendrons are for you!
- If you are sure that the purchased species of rhododendrons are suitable for growing in your area, then the bushes can not be covered for the winter. Not cold-resistant enough.
I wish the growers success in growing rhododendrons!
Nadezhda Semyonovna Dunaeva (St. Petersburg)
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The dwarf rhododendron belongs to the Heather family of the genus Rodotamnus. Natural varieties grow in the rocky Alps, found in Germany, Austria, Slovenia.
Dwarf rhododendron is a low-growing evergreen bush that grows in height no more than 50 - 60 cm in adulthood. The crown is dense, pillow-shaped. Stems are numerous, raised, twine and spread to the ground. The leaves are small, up to 3 - 4 cm long, dark green. They grow alternately, oblong in shape, sometimes back - convex. The leaf blade is covered with hairs or scales, depending on the subclass.
The flowers are axillary, bell-shaped or cup-shaped, small, up to 4 - 5 cm in diameter. Inflorescences are collected in 2 - 3 flowers, densely planted. The colors are very diverse - soft lemon, pink, crimson, dark red. The fruits ripen in a longitudinal capsule. The root is flat, 30-40 cm high in an adult bush.
Dwarf rhododendron belongs to the Alpine endemics in the East. Their range is limited, unfortunately, natural species belong to rare plants, many are listed in the Red Book.
Rhododendron pygmy is ornamental shrub, with his participation in modern breeding, many intergeneric hybrids of calmiopsis, flowering Fillodots of the Heather family, were bred.
The main difference between the dwarf species of rhododendron is that the exotic belongs to calcephiles, that is, it lives in nature in calcium, limestone, chalk soils on rocky slopes. Some species bloom again in August - September.
Rhododendron ludlowii "Wren" is a low-growing evergreen shrub that is practically pinned to the ground. The height of the dwarf bush reaches 20 - 30 cm. The flowers are bright lemon, medium in size. The leaves are evergreen, small, oblong, up to 2.5 - 3 cm in length. Average frost resistance, but with spruce shelter it tolerates frost well.
The shrub is creeping, undersized, its height reaches 50 - 60 cm. The crown is dense, knocked down, pillow-like, prostrate. The flowers are bell-shaped, rich scarlet, shiny. Leaves are medium, oblong, elongated, dark green in color, may be darker.
The root is shallow, brittle, easily damaged when loosening. Blooms early, in May. Can grow in full sun and partial shade. Average frost resistance, tolerates temperature drops down to -27 ºС
The bush is dense, evergreen, dwarf. It grows up to 50 cm. The crown is very dense, wide, grows up to 80 - 90 cm in diameter. The leaves are small, wide, oblong, up to 4 - 5 cm in length. The flowers are delicate lilac, bloom in mid-May.
Able to endure frosts down to - 26 ºС, provided that the landing site is protected from gusts of wind, in diffused shade or in sunny places with shading. Bred in the Czech Republic, named after the town of Krumlov - the birthplace of exotic.
The bush has a peculiarity - the crown is very dense, it is called dense rhododendron. Evergreen shrub dwarf, does not grow half a meter in adulthood. The flowers are collected in large inflorescences, small in size, tightly planted on the stems, forming a dense dense crown. The shrub blooms in late May with dark purple flowers with a blue tint.
Leaves are oblong, medium, 2 - 3 cm long, rather wide, leaf diameter - 2.5 - 3 cm. The structure of the foliage is scaly on both sides. Frost resistance is moderate, up to - 26 ºС. Prefers partial shade and a substrate rich in humus.
A creeping variety of dwarf rhododendron, the bush extends along the substrate at a height of 40-50 cm. The flowers are medium, up to 5 cm in diameter, funnel-shaped in shape, dark red in color with dark spots on the central petal. The petals are swirling, wavy.
Inflorescences - domes are harvested up to 10 flowers. The leaves are round, up to 4 - 6 cm in diameter. The bush is especially drought-resistant. The variety is highly frost-resistant, subject to cover and a mulch layer of the substrate, it can withstand up to - 30 ºС.
The flowering of dwarf rhododendron is generous, abundant, occurs in May or at the very beginning of June. Lasts 3 weeks. The crown is dense, compact, almost invisible during flowering. Many varieties can bloom again in late August and early September.
Dwarf rhododendron is usually transplanted before and after flowering. During the ripening of the buds, the temperature should be reduced to 10 - 12 ° C. After flowering, strongly elongated shoots are cut off. Old inflorescences must be cut off immediately after flowering for future flowering.
For abundant flowering and the formation of new buds, you need to feed the bush with superphosphate. You should also check the bushes for fungi and garden pests.
Dwarf rhododendrons are used to create alpine slides, mixed rocky gardens - mixborders. The varieties look good in compositions with thujas, cypresses and other conifers.
For dwarf varieties, the optimal planting site is semi-shady areas. It is good to plant these varieties near the needles, under its scattered shadow, the flowers are protected from the burning sun and gusty wind.
The soil for dwarf rhododendron is loose, drained, moist, but not swampy. Required substrate:
Important! It is undesirable to add sawdust, black soil, ash to the substrate.
The best time planting dwarf rhododendron - early spring. Landing scheme:
The composition of the mulch is peat, needles, layer up to 6 cm.
The variety is frost-resistant, withstands a drop in temperature to an average of -25 ° C. Dwarf rhododendron prefers a cool, humid climate, optimum temperature- 10 - 12 ° C.
Watering for the dwarf rhododendron requires abundant watering in hot summer weather and moderate in autumn. In winter, watering is reduced by 2 times.
The water should be:
Each bush consumes up to 10 liters of water.
Attention! Spray the bushes every day in the summer to maintain the required air humidity.
For the pygmy rhododendron, it is important to use organic fertilizers: rotted manure is diluted in water 1:15, the solution should be infused for several days. Intensive fertilization - once a week until the end of summer. Combine with watering. The flowers are fed with potassium and phosphorus, solution: 8 g per 10 l of water.
In early spring, you can feed with special complex fertilizers:
The solution is diluted - 30 g of the mixture per bush.
For young bushes, fertilizer doses are reduced by 1.5 - 2 times.
Pruning is done 20 days after the end of flowering. Regular pruning of old shoots in half is also desirable.
Damaged stems, dried leaves and flowers are cut in time.
Dwarf rhododendron transplant is carried out in early spring or at the end of September. Bushes usually tolerate transplanting well, provided that the old earthen coma is preserved.
It is better to cover these varieties with medium frost resistance with burlap, coniferous branches. They remove the shelter in spring, in parts, preferably on a cloudy day.
Reference! Mulching before wintering is imperative to prevent root freezing.
Dwarf rhododendron in home floriculture propagates by cuttings:
Advice! Prophylaxis against pests and diseases should be repeated 3-4 times every 8-10 days.
To get rid of rust, powdery mildew, chlorosis, gray mold and other fungi, treatment is required - watering and spraying with fungicides. You can feed the flowers with potassium - phosphorus fertilizers.
Problems can arise from damp soil, unsuitable substrate, improperly applied fertilizers or fungi.
The dwarf rhododendron will beautifully cover the flower beds and areas with its flowering only with proper care, sufficient watering and good moisture.
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These plants love shade and unsaturated air, due to the fact that their natural habitat is the mountain forests of Asia, and also North and Central America. When growing them, it is necessary to provide conditions close to natural, in this regard, it is necessary to choose shaded and protected from the wind areas. The air must be humid.
Rhododendrons thrive under tall trees. To ensure sufficient moisture, you can plant them by a stream or near a reservoir on summer cottage... In this case, they will grow perfectly, and there will be no need to "help out" them. As for the soil, it must be light or average. Moreover, it is important to maintain moderate moisture and acidity.
Rhododendrons grow in fertile, permeable and humus-rich soil. Shrubs are best planted in the spring, however, shrubs obtained in containers can be planted throughout the growing season. The plant should be constantly watered with flexible water - water after rain is better for this. Moreover, this is a very economical solution, since it simply falls from the sky.
After 30 years of research, Finnish seekers have developed winter-hardy rhododendron varieties that are frost-resistant down to -40 ° C. You need to pay attention to them, due to the fact that these plants are suitable even for the coolest regions. The attractiveness of these varieties that are resistant to frost of rhododendrons is not at all inferior to other popular varieties, with all this they have miniature bushes and tough stems that cannot break under the weight of snow.
Rhododendrons: varieties that are resistant to frost - the photo was taken in early June, when this magnificent plant shows all its beauty.
Below is a description of the varieties of rhododendrons that can be grown in cooler regions.
