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diygardener_gw

How to prune a 'half dead' purple gem?

diygardener
17 years ago

Last year my dh bought a dwarf purple gem rhodie and planted it by our patio in a spot it did not like (way too much sun). It bloomed, but then as the summer wore on a lot of its leaves burned off. It bloomed again this spring, but had nowhere near as many blooms as it did last year. So two weeks ago I moved it to a spot where it should be much happier--dappled shade and acidic soil that is coated with pine needles from a nearby tree. I'm wondering if I should now prune it, and if so, how. After I transplanted it I did cut out all dead stems but left any that had any leaves left. Now the middle is mostly little brown twigs and many of the stems throughout the plant have leaves on top but not lower down (Maybe it's always like that, but just more noticeable because dead stems were cut out?)I think this is what is called leggy??As much as I would like blooms next spring I am more concerned with the plant's long-term health. It seems to have handled the move well (hasn't lost any leaves since). Well, as you can probably tell by now, I'm no rhodie expert! So what do you think of what I've done so far? And what should I do next? Leave it? Prune it hard? Thanks!

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