Removing a rhododendron

[Mrs Pingu]

Have discovered (thanks to Google Lens) that one of the shrubs in our garden is a rhodie. It's not too large at the moment, maybe 0.5m high, so we'd like to kill it utterly to deth while we still can.
Anything we need to know other than getting every last bit of it in the garden waste bin and being vigilant for it trying to come back?

[Ian H]

The roots will be a fairly compact ball, so it should be quite easy to excavate and remove in one piece.  They're not remotely as invasive or as difficult to get rid of as, say, Japanese Knotweed, so no need to be too worried about totally destroying it.

[lissotriton]

Depends on what variety of rhododendron. Some are more resilient and invasive than others. Probably worst is Rhododendron ponticum.
Usual method is lever and mulch. ie cut the stalk down to about 1m tall. Then use that as a lever to pull out the rest of the roots. May need to dig down around it, and cut through any thicker roots.
If you leave any of the stump, make sure you cut off any green shoots. And bash the top with a hammer, should stop it regrowing.

For bigger trunks, stem injection can work. ie drill a small hole, and fill with glyphosate. It will kill off the whole plant within a few months.

[ravenbait]

We cut our 1m tall one down to the ground when we moved in. I hate rhodies.

It was taller than that within 3 years.

I have since cut it down again and ruthlessly cut off any green shoots that dare to show themselves. Painted the cut trunks with glyphosate. The roots are under the adjacent pavement, so that's all I can do. It seems to be getting the message.

Sam

[Mrs Pingu]

Die!
2022-06-04_09-09-09 by The Pingus, on Flickr