It would have been better to soak the root ball in water before planting. Once the root ball dries out it is nearly impossible to get it to absorb water. It will be hard to see if it is alive this time of year. There should be no new growth till next spring. If the leaves have any green and stay on the plant it may make it. You need to soak the root ball and then let it drain. If it is kept too wet it will get root rot. It needs very good drainage.

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

Thanks much. This is indeed a well-drained area and the other rhodies (6 8-foot tall Novaya Zemlya plants) are
extremely happy here. I think that I DID soak the rootball
by just slow dripping water into the root ball for-perhaps
just under one hour. I could do it again--and REALLY be
sure by soaking it completely (it definitely goes in and
not just runs off) for about 3 hours slow drip again tonight
which is 2 days after I put it in.
However, we are expecting 2 days of rain starting tomorrow.
Thanks for the link!

Nova Zembla (a good hardy red)

Soaking means placing it in a container of water until it is completely soaked through thoroughly.

Make sure that the plant is getting wet. Rhododendron guru Harold Greer of Eugene, Oregon noted: "Quite often a plant will get completely dry and then no matter how much water you apply, the rootball will just keep shedding it. The top of the soil may seem wet, and the soil around the plant may even be very wet, but the actual rootball of the plant is bone dry. This is especially true for newly planted rhododendrons, and it is the major reason for failure, or at least less than great success with that new plant. It is hard to believe that a plant can be within mere inches of a sprinkler that has been running for hours and still be dry, yet it can be SO TRUE!".

Been really good about this as of last eve. I did my usual
pencil holes about 30 of them right into the root ball all
over. Then drip watering for about an hour. If this
doesn't work, then I give up.

Thanks much for all of the advice--it is so wonderful to
have a place to come to for help!

BTW I know-having studied Russian-that 'Novaya Zemlya'-
means 'New Land'--so I assumed that was the REAL name
and that folks just did not know any better.
But, I just learned that 'Nova Zembla' is the name of
an island off the coast of Siberia and maybe that is where
people got the inspiration for the name of this rhody??

Re: Nova Zembla.

"It's specific hybrid history of this 1902 shrub is only half known. It was developed by the Dutch firm of M. Koster & Sons, by crossing Anthony Waterer's ultra-hardy 1860 classic Ironclad 'Parson's Grandiflorum' with a nameless hardy red. The resultant shrub proved so hardy it was destined to become a standard choice for less than ideal gardening conditions...
...'Nova Zembla' means "New Land." The rhododendron is named for the island of that name off the northern coast of Russia. In the 16th Century the island of Nova Zem[b]la was a veritable haven for mariners seeking a polar route from Europe to Asia. Under ideal conditions such a route was found to exist, though ice flows meant that many a far-exploring ship was crushed."

Sounds like a believable story from a reliable source, the only thing remains unclear is how the letter 'b' all of a sudden appeared in a word 'Zem-[b]-la'.
Transliteration would call for 'Zemla' or 'Zemlya'.
PS, yes, I'm a native Russian speaker.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nova Zembla

Updates on how this plant is coming along.
(BTW, thanks to you ego45 for your wonderful info on Nova Zembla Rhododendron!)

Plant is still green, BUT the leaves are still somewhat
curled under. I kind of expected them to straighten out
after a week of good rains and some thorought watering.

Am I being too hasty?

IS this plant SUPPOSED to have smaller leaves somewhat
curled under?
Thanks.

Olga Mezitt is a small leaved evergreen rhododendron. I don't know what somewhat curled under means. In cold weather and when dry they curl up conserve moisture on the underside of the leaves.

ego,

Spasibo za urok istorii. And for all your helpful and informative posts on this and the shrubs forum.

desperationfalls,

Here's another possibility: Are you sure the throw-away is actually 'Olga'? Could it possibly be 'Landmark'? This lepidote has flowers a little redder than 'Olga' but otherwise is quite similar--except it is noted for somewhat curled leaves. Below is a close-up of my 'Landmark', just inserted this past spring, putting on a nice show of fall color.

A.J.

{{gwi:399211}}

Olga Mezitt:
{{gwi:393119}}{{gwi:399213}}

Landmark:
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[photos courtesy of www.rarefindnursery.com]

Even these spring photos show the curling on Landmark that AJ pointed out.

Hi Folks,
Thanks so much for your consideration of my problem.
The tag on the plant says 'Olga Mezitt'
The curling of the leaves is much more drastic than any
I've seen in the pictures; in fact they curl around like
crayons or pencils--even in 55-60 deg F weather. Now
some--a very few-- of the leaves are not curled.

Maybe this is due to not-being-watered.

Does anyone have a photo of some rhodys which weren't
watered properly and have curled leaves?

I'll try to get our digital camera out today and post a
pic or two.

That is not normal. It sounds like the roots aren't picking up enough water. It can be either 1) diseased roots, 2) vole chewed roots or 3) dry roots.

1) If the roots are diseased, that is usually terminal.

2) If it is vole damage, then you can usually baby it back to health by pruning the top back and suppressing new top growth for a while. This is probably the biggest single reason for loosing new plants.

3) If it is dry roots, it may be necessary to dig it up and soak the root ball and then replant it in a well drained spot and with a good mulch. Once a root ball dries out it is virtually impossible to get it moist again. The growing medium almost becomes waterproof.