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Wild rhododendron
Hi there. Im very new to all this gardening malarky so please be gentle!! I have aquired a healthy wild rhododendron which is approx 3ft x 3ft. It was dug up by my dad on the roadside (works for council clearing verges). It has a large shallow rootball. My main question is... Will this survive being planted into my garden. I know they require acid rich soil and assume mine must be as it grows conifers really well. I dug the whole 10" deep and added some eracious compost then planted the rhodo into it,with the top of rootball being level wirh the surface of my garden. If it will survive, i would like to keep it smallish so it doesnt take over. Can thos be done with pruning? Also,what species of rhodo is it likely to be? Thanks. 
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Hi Chops
It is Rhododendron ponticum, the common rhododendron. I can be pruned quite hard to keep it small, the problem is you will then have very few flowers. It will grow in any acid soil, rich or poor. Have a look at what your neighbours grow, if they have Camellias, Pieris and Azaleas then you have the right soil in that area. Keep it watered through this summer as it is not rooted into your garden soil and unable to access the water there.
I agree with pansyface, I love them and we have them everywhere round where I live and they can get huge. If you wanted something small like that I'd go for a azalea type of rhodo, i think they tend to be smaller and might be a bit more to scale with your front garden.
Good luck.
Yes, looks like R. ponticum. They can be pruned, but they often dont flower the year after pruning. It will grow to a humungous size in a few years, but I like them.
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Hear hear! I did my back in during January, trying to clear some of this pernicious foreign weed, I agree that it looks spectacular but it smothers everything else.
Don't throw it in the bin: burn it so it can't spread!
It's a small area to have it in Chops. I'd get shot of it if it was me but you might want to enjoy it just now. I'd buy a reliable named variety if you want a rhodie for the front garden. They'll take a while to get big and you can prune them to keep them the height you want.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
There is nothing else in my front garden except 2 conifers in both corners.
If it can be kept under controll with pruning and shaping then ill see how it goes.
Prune it with a saw, about 2" above the ground then chop of the regrowth as it appears. Should only take a few years to get rid of it.
(Personally, I'd do the same with the conifers, but chacun a son gout).
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