Hello, I was wondering if it would be possible to cut this Rhododendron down to about half its size? It is very well established and has quickly grown out of control, now above my roof line. Some of the branches (pictured) on the inside don't have leaves on them. I have cut down some other overgrown bushes and have been amazed at how quickly they have grown back, but since this Rhodo is so large and branches so thick, I wanted to check and see how much I can cut it down. Thank you!
Cut back to wherever you want. Since it is well budded and will not begin refurnishing itself until next spring maybe wait until right after it flowers to prune.
That is such a gorgeous plant, I would have a hard time cutting it back significantly; maybe curtail its horizontal growth a bit but, really, what is the harm of letting it grow taller? It's your choice of course. Definitely cut out the dead branches. Anytime I've ever cut a rhodo back drastically, I notice that the leaves produced the following year look pretty pathetic and that it usually takes at least 3 years to start to look 'normal' again. If that were my rhodo, I'd be so proud of it; prune it to be more narrow but let it grow as tall as it wants. You have lots of other trees much taller.
