Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

How can we get rid of wild purple rhododendrons?

catherine.anniscatherine.annis Posts: 1
in Plants
Our garden is literally full of wild purple rhodendrons.  Some of them we'll have to keep (boundaries) but the others we'd like to eventually remove.
Any advice please on how best to get rid of them
and what we can replace them with?
We're in Exmoor, soil ericaceous, with lots of moisture, but well drained.
Grateful for your thoughts. 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Stumpkiller. Cut them down and use that - it's a good time of year too. 

    They're horrible things, and ruining our landscape up here as they smother everything in their path. It's an ongoing problem in many areas, especially our glens. The usual approach is to go in and annihilate them with chainsaws, but they're hard to kill.  :/

    I wouldn't plant anything else until you know they're gone though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited November 2020
    Rhododendron ponticum has become a major alien invasive shrub  in many places in UK. It smothers all native wild flowers completely. Is no good to man or beast.
    National Trust and other  big organisations are removing it as much as possible.
    Cutting to a stump and then treating stump with chemicals to stop re growth.

    This link is from Forestry Commission.
    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/698576/managing_and_controlling_rhododendron.pdf

    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • sarinkasarinka Posts: 270
    edited November 2020
    What relation are these to rhododendron japonicas (azaleas)? And is the pollen from these ok for bees? 
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    I note you're in Exmoor, catherine.annis, which conjures up a vision of rural countryside.  Without resorting to poison, they're easily cut down and, if large enough, used for firewood.  If not, they burn beautifully on a bonfire.  If feasible in your particular location, leave a foot or so of stump and some form of light agricultural vehicle or 4x4 should pull them out without much bother on a dry day?
  • sarinkasarinka Posts: 270
    edited November 2020
    Oh no! I plant so many bee-friendly plants and have been investigating getting a beehouse next year - but also planted two small azaleas this year. They haven't bloomed yet. Based on that article, I had better bin them.:(

    thank you, @pansyface
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    sarinka said:
    Oh no! I plant so many bee-friendly plants and have been investigating getting a beehouse next year - but also planted two small azaleas this year. They haven't bloomed yet. Based on that article, I had better bin them.:(

    thank you, @pansyface
    They will fly miles away.
    So cannot see point in getting rid of your Azaleas when there will probably be many more locally.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
Sign In or Register to comment.