Pacific Rhododendron • Rhododendron macrophyllum

Native Rhodies display their blooms earlier than the commonly seen hybrids in residential gardens. Most often you'll see Pacific Rhodies bloom in early spring as one of the first flowers to ring in the new season. The bloom is magnificant, however short-lived. 

When bloom is finished, you will need to dead-head, or remove, all the spent flowers, as soon as you can. Not only does this improve the aesthetics of the plant, but it also helps the plant put its energy and resources into new growth instead of trying to keep spent flowers alive. After the final bloom is the only time to prune your Rhodies. The cutoff time is typically around the end of June, however it is best to finish all pruning as close to final bloom as possible. Pruning Rhodies in the fall or winter with other perennials will do more damage than good. 

Mid to late summer the plants will start to develop next season's buds. By the middle of fall they will most likely be finished growing and the plant will begin overwintering. You will not see any physical change during this process. After you are done removing spent flowers and doing light pruning, Rhodies will not need any more attention until the same time the following year.

As with many other PNW native plants, Rhododendrons love acidic soil, and will perform best when the soil's pH is below 6.0. Planting in early spring or mid fall are the two best times, as both soil and atmospheric temperatures have either warmed up from the winter or cooled off from the summer. 

Plant Rhodies in areas where they receive partial shade, especially from the higher afternoon heat. Morning sunshine and afternoon shade is the best combination. While Rhodies are cold-hardy, keeping them close to a structure will minimize winter damage from the off chance a deep freeze occurs (below 20°F).

During the first two years in its new home, a Rhodie will need regularly scheduled water. While it doesn't like it's feet wet, it still requires constant soil moisture to form the necessary root structures to be successful later on. A daily watering around the same time each day during the dry summer months will go a long way. As with all plants, make sure the soil is well-drained to prevent standing/pooling water, which leads to root rot.