Detangling really old unkept rhododendron

Lena_vs_Deer · June 2021

So ... in the house we moved in we have many rhododendrons. I have met the previous owner and know that they weren't much of a gardener and plants were just put in there when the house was built. Nothing wrong with that, but there are some clusters of 3 rhodies of different colors. Really nice in theory and, actually, in bloom....

But here's a thing. Since they pretty much had barely ever been deadheaded, they have turned into a impenetrable yarn ball of very thin hair-like branches

I've been kind of purposefully ignoring this spot last year because I was not prepared to tackle it, but this year some dead wood started to be very visible and I had no choice but to remove dead branches. And that's where the "ball" collapsed heh ... With no thick dead branches to hold the weight of this all growth just flopped on the ground

I trimmed it some, but the structural branches that are there in place are thinner than new growth produced

This stage is already somewhat detangled and looks less like a yarn ball ...
But everything is just snapping under its own weight

In my heart I know that I just need to cut it all, but my hands just can't follow up on it ...
I just really don't want to have a gaping hole instead of what used to be a main garden feature, but I'm probably too far along to contemplate this... am I?

Feeling really disheartened.
I know it needs to be cut and refreshed, but do you think I could maybe trim it selectively and spread major cutting throughout few years? Or would it just do more damage and disfigurement hence needs to be done all at once ?

There's also lots of native shrubby and spreading plants that need to be cleaned up from under these rhododendrons which probably will give them more air, light and nutrition so hopefully cuts will re-grow back. Right now it's a very stale and damp den .

Anyone has experience with such a major cleanup?
Cluster is about my height (something like 1,5 meters) and almost 4 meters wide .

Everything just finished blooming, there's even few live blooms on it

steephill · June 2021

They are tough plants and will survive being cut back to a stump. You could cut back all branches to 6 inches long and that should give you plenty of buds for new growth. Alternatively you could try the standard 3 year rotation of selective cuts but it might be difficult keeping a good shape on each plant during renovation. You could be brutal and cut all groups of three now or do one group each year.

Personally I would go for the nuclear option and cut them all back now based on experience of cutting down my own rhodies. They all came back stronger and cleaner.

Lena_vs_Deer · June 2021

You are probably right about nuclear option

I may have to do that ... it's just such a footprint visually disappearing

I trimmed first one and was like " Alright! Looking fresh ... i guess"
and when it flopped on the ground on a second one i internally went "Oh no .... no no no" haha
Just was so weird and probably shocking. Really was taken aback.
I will probably have to do 2 out of 3 this year , because the one i trimmed was closer to the walking path, but now it's covered by other 2 from any sunlight. So I'd probably need to open that space up to sun for new growth to not get spindly again ))

... it may however require a glass of wine and some mental preparation

Fairygirl · June 2021

I'd do exactly as @steephill describes. They're tough as old boots. You can cut them back hard and they come back.
They'll actually benefit from it because when congested, you get poor airflow, which isn't healthy for them anyway

Buttercupdays · June 2021

We inherited a very pretty rhodie, but it just grew and grew like Topsy until it was way above my head and covering a huge space, so 4 or 5 years back we cut it down completely. It has regrown and reshaped itself beautifully and is easier to see as it is lower, though that won't last many more years

I find cutting things back very difficult but am learning that it is worth it, so manage to steel myself more often!

I have other s that are leggy under trees and some of them will get the treatment when they finish flowering this year. They grow back fast, but you will have time to reassess your three and maybe move one or even two of them to make them look better.

Bon courage!

Lena_vs_Deer · June 2021

Thank you everyone!

It really gave me courage to have a go at them!

I cut most of them pretty short, but as I was doing the trimming I thought it would be nice to keep one of them taller. Some of the curly branches just seemed almost like a bonsai tree, so I decided to shape it as one and hopefully instead of an even ball I’ll have sort of layered look soon!

Now I need to clean up around and put some plants under for a time being

thinking of filling up with daffs underneath! And see if cyclamen can stand being under this shun at leas within a foot or two radius

Lena_vs_Deer · April 2022

Just wanted to post an update a year later in case anyone will look for similar pruning on forum

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/s9/fob33mnxqkx1.jpg

steephill · April 2022

Looks like you failed to kill it then

Hopefully that will "encourage les autres". They are strong plants and will survive the worst of our predations. I have one rhodo which I have burned down, then cut down when burning failed to kill it, then I dug up and left on the surface and it still produced new growth this year.

Lena_vs_Deer · April 2022

I did feel like committing a murder at that time haha...

I trimmed another one nearby, that one did much worse unfortunately. The old branches gave up on me after winter and gave no growth (kept them for birds to sit on). But there's new growth from the ground! So it's not dead, but ... not ideal at the moment

steephill said:

I have one rhodo which I have burned down, then cut down when burning failed to kill it, then I dug up and left on the surface and it still produced new growth this year.

Time to break out silver bullets!

Detangling really old unkept rhododendron

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