Hi all!
I moved into this out 1.5 years ago. The rhododendron bushes were SO incredibly overgrown, it was almost touching the water's edge of the pool. While we were having tree work done, I made the mistake of asking my tree guys to cut back the rhododendron. They MASSIVELY cut them back (lesson learned by me, make sure I am either specific and present, or use a professional in that area!). Anyways, on the lower half of the tree, they cut the limbs back to the trunk. That being said, in several areas last summer, leaves were sprouting out of the intersection of the cut branch and the trunk. Those leaves are now gone. One of the bushes died in a massive snow storm (the weight of the snow took it down). I am worried they are still recovering (or dying) from the pruning and wouldn't survive a transplant...
We are finishing up the pool area and I need to decide on what to do with them. They are still too big (tall) for the space -- they cover a very cool, very large, rock formation that we'd like to expose. I either need to (1) get rid of them altogether, (2) transplant them elsewhere (but worried lots of money will be lost if they end up dying), or (3) cut them back substantially and hope that over the next 3 years they re-bloom as much smaller bushes. I am leaning towards #3 but wondering if anyone has done this and if it has worked? Thank you!
I moved into this out 1.5 years ago. The rhododendron bushes were SO incredibly overgrown, it was almost touching the water's edge of the pool. While we were having tree work done, I made the mistake of asking my tree guys to cut back the rhododendron. They MASSIVELY cut them back (lesson learned by me, make sure I am either specific and present, or use a professional in that area!). Anyways, on the lower half of the tree, they cut the limbs back to the trunk. That being said, in several areas last summer, leaves were sprouting out of the intersection of the cut branch and the trunk. Those leaves are now gone. One of the bushes died in a massive snow storm (the weight of the snow took it down). I am worried they are still recovering (or dying) from the pruning and wouldn't survive a transplant...
We are finishing up the pool area and I need to decide on what to do with them. They are still too big (tall) for the space -- they cover a very cool, very large, rock formation that we'd like to expose. I either need to (1) get rid of them altogether, (2) transplant them elsewhere (but worried lots of money will be lost if they end up dying), or (3) cut them back substantially and hope that over the next 3 years they re-bloom as much smaller bushes. I am leaning towards #3 but wondering if anyone has done this and if it has worked? Thank you!
I think the answer to this problem lies in your description of the plants.