Help with rhododendron disease

[Trailoftears]

It does look fungal-rust being the obvious culprit.It saddens me that peeps now seem to equate Rhodies with evil.Yes,Ponticum needs careful management/monitoring-particularly on the West coast of the U.K.Even so,its one of the few large shrubs that will flower well even under heavy shade in say,dark beechwoods.The worse thing you can do with ponticum is cut it right down-then it will re-trench and spread swiftly.If you want it gone,cut it down and immediately dig it out-shallow-rooted so easy to do.

The saddest thing I've seen working in  fairly historic Gardens is where new owners come in,heavily chop down beautiful hardy hybrids and don't understand they have just let the the old ponticum understock run riot.Whilst Rhodies are generally 'uncool' these days. There is no finer sight than Mrs furnival/pink pearl/sappho,nobleanum etc,etc at their peak on the edge of a woodland glade.

[nepia]

Ah - Mrs Furnival at her peak... you're bringing back memories now  😂

[Muddy42]

12 hours ago, Trailoftears said:

It does look fungal-rust being the obvious culprit.It saddens me that peeps now seem to equate Rhodies with evil.Yes,Ponticum needs careful management/monitoring-particularly on the West coast of the U.K.Even so,its one of the few large shrubs that will flower well even under heavy shade in say,dark beechwoods.The worse thing you can do with ponticum is cut it right down-then it will re-trench and spread swiftly.If you want it gone,cut it down and immediately dig it out-shallow-rooted so easy to do.

The saddest thing I've seen working in  fairly historic Gardens is where new owners come in,heavily chop down beautiful hardy hybrids and don't understand they have just let the the old ponticum understock run riot.Whilst Rhodies are generally 'uncool' these days. There is no finer sight than Mrs furnival/pink pearl/sappho,nobleanum etc,etc at their peak on the edge of a woodland glade.

 

Thanks for the additional confirmation of rust. I just need some dry weather now for treatment!

 

Yes I agree, no need to persecute the non-ponticum varieties.  I have also heard that many were grafted onto ponticum rootstock by the victorians. I understood that the ponticum simply takes over anyway without human intervention and sprouts from the roots, smothering the ornamental variety. Although I have never actually seen this happen.

 

Here ponticum grows pretty strongly, so you can use whatever means possible to eradicate it with a clear conscious - chop, bonfire, pull up by the roots, glyphosate.  Some people even use diggers, bulldozers, chippers or organic bailers.  Its pretty tenacious though, if you leave a few roots or seedlings it will quickly come back.  Its a non-native species that ultimately closes up the understory and prevents hardwoods regenerating.