The Pink Pearl Rhododendron won the Award of Merit in 1897, a First Class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society of England for a cut flower truss exhibited with foliage in 1900, and the Royal Horticultural Society gave it an Award of Garden Merit in 1952. It is one of the least demanding and most beautiful of popular rhododendrons grown in Peninsula gardens.
The British, who rate their rhododendrons from one to four stars gave Pink Pearl a three star rating. Rhododendrons can be transplanted at any time they are not in active growth. They have a surface root system which is compact and fibrous which makes them easy to transplant even in large sizes. It is a great help to gardeners who wish to arrange a sequence of color or just add a new plant that the flowering season is one of the best times to move or set out a plant.
When buying a new rhododendron, the most important consideration, according to is to choose plants that have at least four main branches within a few inches of the ground. Unless the plant is well formed with a good branching framework in youth it will not make a trim, densely foliaged shrub in later years. Good drainage and good air circulation are absolute musts for rhododendrons. Slopes usually imply good water drainage but we have found that digging a hole, on some slopes, big enough to hold the roots of a fair sized rhododendron just makes a place for water to accumulate.
Always check the drainage in any hole, dug for a rhododendron, by putting water in it and observing how long it takes for it to drain away. If these plants have their roots immersed in water for 48 hours they are likely to die and if air is kept from the roots for 24 hours the plant will suffer irreparable damage. Where drainage is bad it is best to plant the rhododendron on top of the soil. Make a good base of oak leaf mold, pine needles or compost and set the plant firmly on it. Drive stakes on each side of the root ball and run plastic tie tape from stake to stake across the top of the root ball.
Pile the growing medium, any one or a mixture of the above around the root ball until it resembles a small hillock. Do not plant the rhododendron deeper than it was in the nursery. Rhododendrons thrive best in soil with a pH between 4.0 and 5.5. If the soil gets too alkaline the plants suffer. Watch for any yellowing of the leaves and if normal fertilizing and watering doesn’t help, try one teaspoon of iron chelate in a gallon of water and pour over the root area. Most acid loving plants in this area will need a treatment with iron every two to three years or so as our chlorinated water tends to lock the natural iron in the soil so it is unavailable to the plants.
Rhododendron Plants – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron
