We have this huge Rhododendron in our front yard at the corner of our house. I want to trim it away from our house and also give it a more even round look.
I know you should trim right after it blooms to make sure it keeps all the buds for next year. Any other tips on how to trim to make sure it still looks just as great next spring?
by Puzzleheaded_Ad4629
24 Comments
r/AbsoluteUnits
That thing has to be a hundred years old! When I prune rhodies, I work on the inside to remove bulk first, removing branches at intersections, and stopping frequently to check the size. Once it’s near the size I’d like, I go in with hand pruners for the fine tuning.
Always check for bird nests before cutting!
I have seen people chop them down to trunks and they come back within a few years, but that terrifies me. There’s also those who would use an electric trimmer to shape them like a topiary, but I’m not a fan of the uniform shape on these.
That thing is a beast. Get some loppers and a handsaw and start in the middle and work your way out. This is no easy task because it’s humongous lol. Might be easier to get it off the ground first the whole way around so you can shape it easier . Take a step back frequently to make sure no unwanted cuts happen. Post pics when you’re done!
Unless you feel you really need to trim/shape it, I would suggest keeping it as it is as you have a magnificent specimen right there.
Personally I wouldn’t touch it. Looks great!
You don’t.
Sorry, that beauty is now a co-owner of your property and has earned the right to be left alone.
You don’t!! I was growing a beautiful bush and then got new windows and the crew were degenerates and crushed half of them. I was so angry.
Wait til it finishes blooming then do whatever you want
I would give anything to have that. Good lord that thing is gorgeous
It’s not necessary to trim right after it blooms. I did mine in winter and it’s blooming like never before.
I opened it up a lot and that has helped.
I would start with lowest branch and work up the trunk. Cut all the way back to the trunk. Step out often to see how it looks…
This is so utterly magnificent! You couldn’t tell me NOTHING (sic) if I had this beauty in my yard.
It will be fine unless you go at it with a flame thrower, even then my money is on the Rhodo 😂 She’s beautiful but I imagine you are losing a lot of light in the house.
Personally I prefer giving them a hard cut rather than a gentle trim, so would just get in there with the loppers and take it back 1-2 ft smaller than you think you want. That allows the new growth to form the final shape.
Make sure you take your time and keep stepping back to review what you are doing.
As another commenter said – do be careful to check for nests, they are really hard to see.
It would be a travesty to prune it. It’s gorgeous exactly as it is. There’s no need to do anything to it except look at it and love it!
Violet!
Step 1: set trimers down on the ground
Step 2: back away and never consider trimming it again
It looks pretty perfect as it is. I’m not sure what you mean by you would want to give it a more rounded look. Like a sheared ball? Like a tree form? Why?
Is it all over the house, rubbing on it? Causing problems? Why do you want it away from the house?
If you can avoid pruning it hard, do so.
You could work from the inside out, removing ONLY dead wood to start. Go through the entire plant and then take a step back – it would likely give it a more airy, lacey look.
Honestly, it looks pretty fantastic to me, and I would discourage you from doing extensive pruning unless there is a really, really good specific reason you need to. I have seen plenty of Rhodies beaten up for no good reason other than the owner “thought they should prune it”.
Get underneath, get it off the ground a tiny bit at first, then delicately work on rounding the edges from the inside out.
Then, each year repeat little by little. A light touch will get you better results each year.
I wouldn’t touch it. It’s perfect.
Just go trim it, its gonna be fine. Decide how much you wanna take off and go for it. Just keep the cuts same. You can probably trim 2-3feet and it will still look good.
Ive fully reset rhodies down to 6 inches before and they come back just fine. Theyre surprisingly tough plants.
That thing is gorgeous!
In your minds eye how do you see it what shape do you want it to take?
Climb inside and find the limbs and branches you want to keep in order to achieve you vision. Avoid hacking away from the outside because you can’t just glue it back on.
If you’re like us the deer will end up eating the entire bottom third. Give it time