Landscaper planted these 2 yrs ago in the month of August. When they were planted they were full and had beautiful flowers. Last year nothing bloomed. This year there's hardly any leaves and lots of dead wood. I'm actually feeding them this year, but I'm not seeing any improvement. No signs of budding either. One of the pictures here shows that their roots are exposed. Could that be the problem? I'm lost.

Nina - if it's any consolation, that really cold snap we had at the beginning of December did a number on my azaleas even though the rest of the winter was mild. Maybe after a long, warmer fall was too much of a shock for them. I had lots of dead wood on them and very few flowers. Do you fertilize your plants? I use a granular acid fertilizer along with top-dressing with peat moss. Make sure they have ample water as well since they are shallow-rooted plants. My plants are slowly recovering with new growth.

Exposed roots are definitely a problem. I would add a little soil over the roots, then mulch and keep watered. Fertilizer will not help them right now.

Rhododendrons seem to flower every other year here, not sure why. One important factor in growing rhododendrons is the soil pH. Do you know the soil pH where they are planted? A soil map I just found online for Illinois suggests that in the north the pH may be on the high side for rhododendrons. That doesn't necessarily apply to all areas but is something to look at for an individual garden.

I will cover the roots with soil. Actually thinking about moving them. Just found out they can get very big and the landscaper put them in a bad area. Not much room for that kind of growth (if they actually survive). I don't know my soil ph. I should probably buy a tester. Any recommendations on a good one?

Do you have an IL extension office nearby that can check it for you? Otherwise, see if you can find some pool test strips to check your pH. I haven't found a reliable meter yet unless you want to spend some $$$.

ninabee said: Actually thinking about moving them. Just found out they can get very big and the landscaper put them in a bad area. Not much room for that kind of growth (if they actually survive).

Rhododendrons can vary in mature size from quite small to big but it depends what rhododendron it is. Do you know the name of them?

I do not know their name. All I know is they bloomed gorgeous lavender flowers when they were first planted. Not sure if that helps determine what kind they are. I read that once they get big they are difficult to move, so I'm thinking if they are the larger variety better to move now than wait and have problems.

nina - are you sure those are rhododendrons and not azaleas? They do seem small compared to other plantings in the area. There's been some heavy pruning at the base on one of them - don't know if that's recent or older. Personally, with the summer heat we've had, I think they might be better sited with some afternoon shade if possible.

Honestly, I don't know what they are, lol. Landscaper didn't give me any info when they were planted so I searched all over the internet trying to identify them from from pictures and my memory. Rhododendron pics looked most like these when they had flowers.

And the pruning you see is all the dead wood I trimmed this year. Thought maybe it would help.

Azaleas are a kind of rhododendron. There are some ways to generally tell which Rhododendron is an azalea, see:

http://www.nyrhododendron.org/...

And some azaleas are dwarf varieties. if your landscaper was a good one, he would know their expected size. Since they are planted right up front, perhaps they are a dwarf azalea?

Thanks Sooby for the link. Unfortunately I don't have any stamens to count. I did take a closer look at the leaves and they are a bit hairy underneath, no dots so I'm thinking they might be azaleas after all. Maybe I will wait until I get some flowers to determine what they are and how big they'll get. Don't really want to move them if I don't have to. Did some more reading and I'm going to try giving them some protection this winter, see if that helps. Either way I'm not going to get flowers this year, right? They should've bloomed in spring??

If you decide to wait to move them I would give them some TLC in place this year. Brush away some of that mulch, apply some peat moss (at least an inch or two) and reapply the mulch on top (but don't touch the stems). Keep them watered this summer to help them cope with the hot temps. Basically, azaleas and rhodies are treated pretty much the same.