Rhododendron Help!

FrancescaB

Hi All,

Im pretty new to gardening, started last year & bought this standard Rhododendron. I planted it in ericaceous compost & gave it a feed earlier in the year,  but it didn’t flower. I got lots of buds but no flower 😔(think maybe that snow killed the buds). It’s shedding the old brown leaves with lots of new leaves coming through, but some of the new leaves are dropping too & the branches are going dark brown & droopy (maybe a bit squishy too?) what should I do?

Thank you! ☺️

UpNorth

Rhododendron don't tend to be standards!  It will need more space for roots..you need to get it bro the ground.  Do you have acidic soil?  What other shrubs grow in your garden?  That might help someone determine if you have acidic soil, without testing.

Fairygirl

They don't need acidic soil - they just don't like alkaline soil. Neutral is perfectly fine.
Several issues there - pot's too small. You'd need something many times bigger if you're keeping it in a pot.
It's very chlorotic, so it's used up all the nutrients that it had when you first planted it. Compost alone is no use for something staying in a pot long term. You need a good soil based compost for it. That will help it retain moisture better. A mulch of something like chipped bark is beneficial. The roots also need air though, so it's important not to have them sitting in water. Good drainage, decent soil medium, and kept watered is the key - much harder in a pot. The soggy foliage/stems could mean it's waterlogged.
Snow doesn't kill buds. Rhodos would never grow up here if that was the case! What will prevent them growing properly is becoming dried out when they form - which is during late summer /early autumn. It's very important to keep them well hydrated at that time.  A cold snap of very severe frosts can also affect them. Wet buds freezing overnight, followed by morning sun can cause them to drop - same with Camellias. The site you have it in is therefore quite important - shade is best. 
Sorry if that all sounds a bit negative, but it's important to get things right for your shrub to thrive  

FrancescaB

Hi Both, thanks for the advice! I think possibly it got waterlogged - Husband said it’s beem sitting under the sprinkler everyday before I’ve been getting home from work. Sure enough when I took it out of the pot to investigate the soil was very wet, so going to let it dry out and hope for the best! X