I have had this rhodie for several years, and it has done great until now. The rhodies on either side of it are doing good. The problem is that this large rhodie has leaves that are curled ( sides into center) and all the new buds have turned brown. None of the other Rhodies look like this, and they all have new buds that are green.
Thank you for any help
Rhodie Problem, need help
Rhododendrons will curl their leaves in response to cold, but the brown buds indicate cold injury, or disease. There has been such an odd weather pattern this year of cold followed by warmth, followed by cold again that the plants have trouble adjusting and may die or at least have a lot of dieback branches. Some are more susceptible than others
and all hybrids are not the same. Some are more hardy to these changes than others. The species R ponticum and hybrids that have ponticum in their parentage seem to me to be particularly susceptible . It would be helpful to know exactly what the name of your plant is. Look for a tag that was probably there when you bought it.
Al Fitzburgh
Thank you for your reply.
Our winter in the Pacific Northwest has been milder than alot of the country.
I thought the curled leaves were due to the cold until I noticed all the brown buds. So far all leaves are green and still on the plant. (Have not found a tag on the plant yet, the flower is red)
You ,ay not need too much of a drop in temps. The plant might have decided to go into growth mode early, when the "right" set of environmental factors occured during this year's mild winter. And then the flower buds got zapped by a drop in temperatures.