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pacnwgrdngirl

Need To Move Vincent van Gogh

pacnwgrdngirl
16 years ago

Hello, I am very new to Rhododendrons .I have been planting many this season. I have a Vincent van Gogh that needs to be moved. He is in way too much shade. I know they're roots are very shallow, so I will consider that when digging him up. I've never transplanted a Rhodie, he's two years old and very spindly. When is the best time to transplant? Does anyone have comments about this one? Or pictures? It's hard to find information on him. Thanks!

Comments (8)

  • Embothrium
    16 years ago

    It's a bit late for that, he's been in the ground a long time. Ohhhhhh: You're asking about a rhododendron!

    "Here is a variety that is seldom seen. It has an almost unbelievable flower, somewhat like 'Rainbow' only better. It has a very white center with a red picotee edge and red on the back side of the flower. Foliage is a dark yellow green."

    --Harold Greer, GREER'S GUIDEBOOK TO AVAILABLE RHODODENDRONS

    Wait until fall to exhume old Vinney, he will be making new shoot growth now.

  • pacnwgrdngirl
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    He was the very first Rhodie that I ever got. The flowers were very different and pretty. I will wait until fall to move him. I figured that would be the best time anyway.
    Thanks bboy ~

  • rhodyman
    16 years ago

    You have yourself a very nice but unusual plant.

    The best thing you can do now is to prune the top back a little so it looks better and root prune it. This will make moving much easier. Pruning the leggy top back now will allow you to improve the appearance without loosing flowers buds. Root pruning will make the root ball more dense. To root prune, just go around the drip line of the plant with a spade, pushing it down do cut any roots that grow out from the plant.

    Actually you can move a rhododendron any time but you need to if you watch it after you move it to make sure it doesn't dry out. This is easier when it is not in an active growth period like in the fall. By my friends in the American Rhododendron Society swap and move plants any time the soil isn't frozen so it can be done.

    Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow rhododendrons and azaleas.

  • Embothrium
    16 years ago

    >Pruning the leggy top back now will allow you to improve the appearance without loosing flowers budsOnly the stongest terminal shoots set buds. Smaller sideshoots replacing any of these that are cut off now will not be likely to set flower buds.

    >Root pruning will make the root ball more denseMost rhododendrons already have compact, easily transplanted rootballs. Cutting all or part of the root system off just as new top growth is being made (and our summer dry season is coming on) doesn't seem like a very good idea.

    "...with the multitude of factors involved, both internally in the plant and environmentally, the likelihood of striking the right combination is challenging. At this point root pruning may be one of those techniques that is best to talk about rather than practice."

    Carl E. Whitcomb, Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants

  • pacnwgrdngirl
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    He's actually not looking too bad. Got lots of new leaves and has actually filled out a little bit. I still need to move him though. I planted him before I knew rhodies need some sun. I think I will wait until fall. Don't want to disturb all of the nice new growth.

    Why is Vincent an unusual plant Rhodyman?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Vincent van Gogh at ARS

  • rhodyman
    16 years ago

    pacnwgrdngirl: VvG is unusual because not many people grow it. It is an underused plant. Apparently it isn't hard to root, it just hasn't been sold much by nurseries. Here is what Harold Greer (www.greergardens.com) says about it:
    "Here is a variety that is seldom seen. It has an almost unbelievable flower somewhat like ÂRainbow only better. It has a very white center with a red picot edge and red on the back side of the flower. Dark yew green foliage."

    bboy: you said "Only the stongest terminal shoots set buds. Smaller sideshoots replacing any of these that are cut off now will not be likely to set flower buds." That isn't true of many rhododendrons. It might be true for some deciduous azaleas, but I had deer bite off the terminal buds of 20 deciduous azalea plants just after they were planted last year, and this year the plants are covered with flowers. We routinely use the top flowers on the many varieties big leaf rhododendrons (which is what VvG is) we have and use them for cut flowers. The plants come back the next year very strong with lots of flowers. Big leaf rhododendrons do not develop such strong apical dominance as deciduous azaleas. Of course this would be even more true of the ones with mounding habit which most do have.

  • pacnwgrdngirl
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hello again~ I took advantage of this nice cool weather we're having, so I transplanted Vinnie. There are so many new plants and trees that I have to water this summer, what's one more? He seeems to be doing just fine. No wilting at all. There seems to be some sort of a sucker growing, should I remove it or let it go? There is nice new leaf growth and what looks like buds? forming in each set of new leaves. Maybe I will have blooms from him next year.

  • rhodyman
    16 years ago

    Since rhododendrons in the US are grown on their own roots, the sucker should just provide another trunk and be OK. In Europe they have grafted rhododendrons and suckers would have to be removed.