Re: cutting back Rhodies
I have seen the results of completely cut back rhodies.
1. I had a shrub beside the sidewalk, about a metre high and in full
bloom when a nighttime passerby decided to take a huge bouquet home.
All that was left was the main stem. It recovered well, but I didn't
take note of exactly how long it took to flower. Not long. (I'm one
who has waited 25 years for some species to flower from seed, so I
don't worry about whether it was three years or only two.)
2. An enormous ancient rhodie, well, ancient for here. Maybe 75
years old. Growing beside a major intersection where it was involved
in an accident with a truck. The trunk was left and sprouted again.
It was nicely recovered, although not to its pre-accident size, when
it lost out to a road widening programme.
Diane Whitehead, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
