How to Care for Rhododendrons in the Winter
- 1). Fertilize your rhododendrons up until mid-July. Then, stop feeding them to begin to slow down their development, leading the plants into dormancy by winter.
- 2). Rake the summer mulch away from the base of the plants in early fall to help the stems slowly adapt to the changing temperatures. Replace the mulch, keeping it in physical contact with the base of the rhododendrons, before the first hard frost.
- 3). Build a screen with burlap and stakes around your rhododendron shrubs to protect them from winter wind and to provide filtered sunlight. Wind and sun split the plants' bark, damage and kill flower buds, and dry up the leaves.