The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Rhododendrons add color and textural interest to any garden.

Blooming in primary or pastel hues, they are evergreen, long-lived, and adapt to most climates.

They can be incorporated into formal gardens or natural landscapes.

Catawba rhododendron

Catawba rhododendronThe Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The leaves are dark green, elliptical, glossy, thick, and leathery.

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The plants can be used in mass or combined with other shrubs.

Purple rhododendrons growing in a foundation bed in front of a white house with green shutters and awnings.

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The added benefit is the stunning springtime blooms.

When selecting a cultivar for a hedge, consider the mature height of the plant.

They are the perfect backdrop for spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and snowdrops.

Pink blooming rhododendron used as a privacy hedge

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Add hostas for textural contrast during summer days and chrysanthemums for fall color.

They are shallow-rooted shrubs so the container can be wider than it is tall.

Look for a container with good drainage holes about twice the size of the nursery pot.

Deep pink Rhododendron in a mixed flower bed

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There are some rare cream or yellow cultivars.

Select varieties that will harmonize with plants flowering at the same time.

When selecting a specimen, also consider the year-round color of the foliage.

Pink purple rhododendrons, bush with green leaves with numerous flowers, fern leaves and trees, garden in the spring in the afternoon.

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Your USDA hardiness zone greatly affects bloom time.

Refer to our suggestions for foundation plantings, privacy hedges, beds or borders, and container plants.

Other Plants

Rhododendrons tend to become leggy and bare near the ground as they mature.

Flowering purple color rhododendron in pot in springtime on wooden wall background, isolated vivid color rhododendron in pot on terrace of house

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Consider planting lower evergreen shrubs, grasses, or flowers to keep plantings lush.

Amend or avoid areas with heavy clay soils that can lead to root rot.

They will require irrigation during times of drought.

Fertilizing

Rhododendrons require very little fertilizer if soil conditions are appropriate.

Apply fertilizer when the soil is moist in late spring after flowering and as new growth emerges.

Each of these problems requires treatment to stop the progress of the disease orpruning to remove the damaged branches.