The Main Plant entry for Rhododendrons (Rhododendron)

"Rhododendron is a genus of over 1000 species of woody plants in the heath family, either evergreen or deciduous. Most species have showy flowers.

There are over 28,000 cultivars of Rhododendron in the International Rhododendron Registry held by the Royal Horticultural Society. Most have been bred for their flowers, but a few are of garden interest because of ornamental leaves and some for ornamental bark or stems.

Species of the genus Rhododendron are native to every continent of the world, except South America and Africa.

A number of insects either target rhododendrons or will opportunistically attack them. Rhododendron borers and various weevils are major pests of rhododendrons, and many caterpillars will preferentially devour them.

Rhododendron species are used as food plants by the larvae of some members of the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) (See List of Lepidoptera that feed on rhododendrons).

Both species and hybrid rhododendrons (including azaleas) are used extensively as ornamental plants in landscaping in many parts of the world, and many species and cultivars are grown commercially for the nursery trade. Rhododendrons are often valued in landscaping for their structure, size, flowers, and the fact that many of them are evergreen.

Like other ericaceous plants, most rhododendrons prefer acid soils with a pH of roughly 4.5-5.5; some tropical Vireyas and a few other rhododendron species grow as epiphytes and require a planting mix similar to orchids. Rhododendrons have fibrous roots and prefer well-drained soils high in organic material. In areas with poorly drained or alkaline soils, rhododendrons are often grown in raised beds using media such as composted pine bark. Mulching and careful watering are important, especially before the plant is established.

Some species of rhododendron are poisonous to grazing animals because of a toxin called grayanotoxin in their pollen and nectar. People have been known to become ill from eating honey made by bees feeding on rhododendron and azalea flowers."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R...

Reply to this comment

My rhododendron was planted in 1971 and has been growing well since that time. As it ages, it is beginning to sprawl, but it is still a beautiful plant that doesn't require a lot of attention. It receives morning sun in its location, and dappled sunlight throughout the day. It has been known to rebloom in late fall, but with fewer blooms than in spring. It's about 5 feet tall and probably as wide as 4 feet.

Edit: After many many years through all kinds of weather, my rhododendron slowly died and though I tried, I could never revive it. It had recently survived a major ice storm in '09 and the summer of 2012 was spent in extreme drought. Those two factors destroyed a lot of plant life, but I think another factor might be the real culprit. The plant was here when we bought this house, though very very small. It was planted beside a corner brick column which is also a support structure for the house. The bricks and concrete went deep. As the rhody began to grow and increase in all directions, my guess is that it used up soil nutrients more quickly than if it had been planted away from the underground masonry. I failed to even think of that when I noticed its demise had already begun. At that point no amount of watering or feeding was going to help. I should have been amending the soil with good compost during all those years when I simply took it for granted.

Reply to this comment

Information from "The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers":
The genus name comes from the Greek rhodon (which means "Rose"), and dendron (which means "tree").

Reply to this comment

Honey bees get nectar from this plant

Reply to this comment