One more thing.....

Shortly after I planted them I fertilized them. I know, I know. I was doing my other rhodies, (they NEEDED it and it helped) and I did my two brand new dwarf rhodies at the same time. Maybe this killed them?

I really like these tiny dwarf rhodies but I don't want to keep buying them and wasting my time if they are a weak plant. If there is something I should do (or something I should NOT do) to help them I need advice.

Hello, Bud_wi. I am not sure I can give you "a" reason but I will give you some things to consider.

Did the plant label for these rhodies say that they were good for Zone 5? You said they are still under warranty; do you still have the label handy? If so, ck the name and the cold designation for that variety.

Sunlight - In most southern zones, rhodies and azaleas have to be planted so they get morning sun or dappled sun. Afternoon sun is too hot here. Could afternoon sun in your Zone 5 be an issue (too hot) for them? Are your other rhodies also exposed to the same amount of afternoon shade?

When was the last time that you did a soil sample analysis? If you did one, what were some of the problem areas? Do you have to acidify the soil? If yes, what products do you use? When and how much?

How much water are they getting? Too much? too little? When you dug the plants out, was the soil wet or dry? It should be moist to the touch.

Do you think they might have been affected by winter desiccation? Warm winters can wake them from dormancy. If your last winter was warm, did you water them thru that period?

How are you fertilizing them, e.g., when and how much? They usually feed off the decomposing mulch only. Some Hollytone or bone meal is all I would add.

What kind of soil are they planted in? Clay soil causes problems because it does not drain well and is hard for the tiny roots to grow thru.

How much mulch do you have under those plants? Are they planted in a windy location? Wind stresses plants because they loose moisture faster than they can absorb it thru the roots.

I hope all that gives you a clue/idea of what could have happened. Luis

Bud,

A couple years ago I bought a 'Ramapo' and what was labelled 'Impeditum' at a box store (some folks say these are actually R. fastigiatum). Both are dwarfy with small, early purple blooms. The latter died a slow death, but the 'Ramapo' has done well. A sister to 'Ramapo' that is easy to find is 'Purple Gem'. I have one of those also, and it is doing great. Another similar lepidote, which I just planted, is 'Faisa'. I've been told by veterans I trust that it is very coldhardy.

A.J.

If the leaves were really tiny - looking almost like a needled conifer - they were most likely the species impeditum or fastigiatum. The hybrids like Purple Gem and Rampapo have much larger leaves that look more like a typical rhododendron on a reduced scale. (There are, however, some hybrids such as Karen Seleger and Moerheim that have the "needle" leaves).
In any case, impeditum and fastigiatum always look very stressed in the spring and take a long time to green up and look healthy. Mine are just beginning to open their buds.
Both these species need sun to set flowers but suffer greatly from winter sun and wind. Protecting them with evergreen boughs, a product like Reemay, etc. is really important in Z5.

Bud_wi, I thought of another possibility for you that could explain what happened. Although not a problem here in Texas, you stand a better chance of suffering from Bark Split than I do.

Bark split is a weather related issue in which warm temps are followed by a hard freeze. During warm weather, water (sap) from the roots is fed up thru the trunk towards the leaves, the water freezes during cold weather and splits the bark. The plant may bloom but suddendly die during warm weather. Callus tissue sometimes grows where the plant tried to heal the injury.

When this occurs in the base of the plant or the trunk, you can loose the whole plant. When smaller branches are affected, you can prune those out.

Using hardy plants and keeping mulch away from the trunk helps prevent this. Late feeding can also cause this problem so do not fertilize from mid-summer or late summer on.

Hope this helps, Luis

Bud... Just so you don't feel too badly, the only dwarf rhododendrons that I've been able to grow successfully are Ramapo or Purple Gem. Any other dwarfs that I've planted, for some reason, never make it through the winter. I've given up trying to grow them for that reason... plus I've run out of room. : ) (I've never fertilized mine, by the way, so it was probably just the hardiness factor.)

Maingrower: These dwarfs have the "needle" leaves as you mentioned. When I dug them up the soil was nice and moist, not wet, not dry and the roots seemed healthy. Maybe they were just slow to get going like you say. Well, they're gonners now. :cry: I've dug them up and even if they WERE healthy, I didn't think they would make it if I tried putting them back.

Luis: As I mentioned before I am thinking it may be as you said; an unusually warm winter brought them out and then they froze. Winters have been MUCH warmer here in the last few years but we still get some real sudden deep freezes.

Thank for the help guys! And thanks for the names of the hardier varities of dwarfs. I may try them if I get my $credit$ from the nursury.

OK. I got two new 'Purple Gems' and put them in this summer. They look fine so far.

I was thinking of putting those styrofoam cones over them for the winter. I use them on some of my roses.

Would this be a stupid idea? I never heard of using cones for Rhodies in the winter, just wrapping them and using mulch. I already have the cones.

My new dwarfs are planted in pretty much the same spot as last year, on the north side of my house.

That is a bit excessive for Purple Gem. The first year I would provide some protection from winter sun and winter wind. That could be done with a burlap wind/sun screen. If you location is not too exposed, then doing nothing may be best.