Patty Winter wrote:
Stephen Henning wrote:
(Patty Winter) wrote:

By the time the current year's flowers are fading, the plants
are already forming buds (flower? leaves?) for next year. So
if I prune then, I'll end up removing new growth

That is very strange. Usually, in early June, rhododendrons and azaleas
have just finished blooming and are opening up their foliage buds and
forming new growth of stems and leaves. The new leaves may look like
they are coming out of buds that are forming on the new stems. You
might be mistaking them for next years buds. Then, in mid summer, new
buds form on the ends of these new shoots and at the base of the new
leaves. Some of these buds are foliage buds and others are flower buds.

Hi, Stephen.

Okay, your information matches what was on the rhodie society
handout, but I'm still confused. As you say, there are new leaves
coming out right now. But those aren't related to next year's
foliage and flower buds?

That is right, they aren't related to next years buds.

I'm safe cutting below them, if they're
on the end of a stem and I want to trim back further?

Yes, you are safe in cutting below them.

The reasons for pruning healthy plants are two fold: 1) to contain or
reduce the size of the plant(s) and 2) to stimulate new growth. For the
latter to take place the plant(s) must have some sun and since yours
seem to bloom nicely, I would guess they get part sun.

Yes, they get some morning and afternoon sun, but not midday.
One of them didn't do much flowering this year, but I'm attributing
that to my not having pruned it properly in the past. The other one
right next to it bloomed fine this year. It's a younger plant, so
hasn't been "mistreated" for as long!

Another good way to fill out the center of the plant(s) is to break off
the new foliage buds on the outer-most branches in the spring after the
flower buds swell up and begin to bloom. When the flower buds begin to
look like green golf balls, the foliage buds will be much smaller and
easy to spot. You can remove them by just twisting them sideways, sort
of like deadheading.

Oh, interesting. I hadn't heard of that technique before. Out of
curiosity, will that delay foliage growth for a year, or will the
plant immediately begin making foliage buds closer to the center
of the plant?

Now, it encourages other buds to grow and fill out the plant. It only
stops the growth of the bud you remove.

Deadheading is the removal of the spent flowers to prevent the formation
of seed pods and to remove any diseased material.

I've been doing that every year, breaking off the flower stems
at the place where they naturally break, kinda like asparagus. ;-)

It should be a spongy areas at the very base of the flower. For
pictures go to

http://rhodyman.net/rarhodyho.html

and click on "Sanitation & Deadheading"

Thank you very much for this information, Stephen. And also to
Tom for his suggestions.
--
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Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6