Hopefully someone can give me some advice. I have 5 dwarf Rhodi's that were planted 12 years ago and they have always done well with no care other than winter mulching. This spring they produced no leaves but produced 1 or 2 blooms per plant. Quite frankly the plants look quite dead, but since they did bloom I am hoping to save them. I live in south central Indiana and the winter was not bad. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.
If you don't have the right soil for heath family plants such as these plantings are apt to deteriorate and fail over time. Here the state flower, Coast Rhododendron is seen growing wild only in certain areas. Even the much more ubiquitous salal (Gaultheria shallon) forms patches only on suitably well-drained sites. Specimens in damper locations will be seen confined to old stumps and logs. In southeast Asia many wild rhododendrons are found growing on other trees, on rocks and cliffs, and on steep slopes.
