The deformed fall bloom is normal for fall bloom, but fall bloom is not normal. Quirky weather will trigger fall bloom in some plants. These buds are lost from next springs bloom.

Do not fertilize now. You should not fertilize after June 15.

The yellow leaves are normal. After 2 or 3 years the leaves turn yellow and fall off.

The curled leaves are a problem. Typically this is caused by one of the following:

Drought: Drought can cause entire branches or entire plants to die. We have had several years of drought here and we observe that if rhododendrons and azaleas are not watered during a drought some plants will die, but others will just have one section of the plant die. It seems to be the plants way to conserve what little moisture it has. Prolonged drought weakens plants and often results in the appearance of fungal cankers on the branches of older azaleas. Look for branches that wilt in hot, dry weather in late summer and be sure to water azaleas if drought drags on more than a few weeks. Prune out the affected branches to stop the spread of fungal canker diseases.

Borers: If a Rhododendron Stem Borer, Oberea myops; Dogwood Twig Borer, Oberea tripunctator; or Rhododendron Borer, Synanthedon rhododendri, is in a branch, the entire portions of a plant beyond (away from the roots) will wilt and die. Borers only affect the portion of the plant away from the roots from the borer. If the borer is in the main trunk, then the entire plant will wilt and die. The plant can be save by cutting off the area with the borer and letting the plant regenerate from the roots. There are no conventional insecticides that will kill stem borer larvae once they are inside the branches. The best control option for homeowners with only a few plants is to prune out and destroy wilting branches in early spring or late summer.

Since you bought the plant in mid summer, it may be root bound. You should have opened up the rootball when you planted it. Otherwise the roots will be wrapped around each other and will eventually strangle each other.

Whether the plant was balled-and-burlaped or potted, make sure that the plant is getting wet. Rhododendron guru Harold Greer 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!"

And most importantly, the plants must be well drained. Wet roots will die of root rot. They need good drainage.

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

my 20 year old rhodys have yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant. From what I understand, the soil is not letting the plants uptake iron because it is too alk. Is this true and what can I do about it? It is winter now..can I fertilize now? Thanks!

Your plants are long established - soil ph at this point would not be the first place to look if you suspect a problem. It is perfectly normal for rhododendrons to drop the oldest lower leaves each year - leaves older than three years will turn color (yellow, even red and orange) and drop off. Leaves showing symptoms of chlorosis are yellow with the veins remaining quite green in contrast.

There are reasons other than soil ph that will cause chlorosis but I suspect what you are seeing is normal growing cycle. Examples are overwatering, overfertilizing, root weevil larvae damage (you would see evidence left by the adults notching leaves as they feed) - things that can kill enough roots that the remainder are unable to supply adequate iron for the top growth.

flowerfloosy,

One reason lower leaves yellow is often a lapse in watering somewhere along the line, perhaps 10-14 or more days ago.

Another is as was said above -- old age for those particular leaves.

Iron deficency gives a different pattern of yellowing. There, the yellowing with green veins would be on the *new* leaves.

I agree with Morz8 that it is most likely just normal aging.

Yellowing and dropping of leaves is normal toward the end of the second summer on the small-leaved lepidote rhododendrons. These should have dense enough habit that this doesn't matter. The larger-leaved elepidote rhododendrons keep their leaves for 3 or 4 seasons. Like all evergreen plants, rhododendrons and azaleas periodically lose some of their foliage, and the leaves may turn yellow, red, or purple before they fall. Often the only leaves that remain are those that surround the flower buds at the tips of the branches. This characteristic is linked to the genetics of the parents used to breed garden azaleas. The degree of leaf coloration or loss is a function of parentage and not the severity of the winter. In unusually cold winters, certain azaleas may lose more leaves than they would in mild winters.

Dry weather usually causes wilting in mild cases and leaf droop and roll in severe cases.
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[photos courtesy of Harold Greer]

Wilting or leaf roll and droop is normal when rhododendrons are exposed to extreme heat, extreme cold, or drought. It is a natural reaction that helps prevent desiccation under these conditions of extreme stress. The roll and droop should go away when the extreme condition is absent. In the case of drought, it is advisable to water since extended drought can cause Phytophthora Dieback (Phytophthora cactorum) cankers which will kill individual branches.

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