While some rhododendrons are naturally leggy, others will branch as part of their normal growth pattern and grow into bushy form. There are ways you can tweak this and guide your plants development...

If your plant is young, to encourage branches to form, pinch. As the new growth buds begin to elongate in Spring (right around bloom time), snap off/pinch out those terminal growth buds - careful not to mistake the round, fat, blunt-tipped flower buds. A plant hormone is produced by leaf buds which inhibits development of dormant buds along the stems (the hormone is not contained in the flower buds) - removing the terminal growth (leaf) buds will force new shoots to develop from dormant eyes along the stems and the result is a fuller rhododendron with more branching. You'll need to continue this pinching procedure each growth cycle in Spring for two or three years.

Growth buds in rhododendrons form in the leaf axils - where leaf joins stem. If your plant is older, cut (sharp pruners)immediately above a rosette of leaves and new growth will emerge form dormant eyes there. In Spring, soon after bloom.

If your plant is older than old, you can still do a renovative pruning that will result in new growth, let us know if that's what you are dealing with....