Question
i have a rhode in my front house that is getting quite large and I would like to cut it down a bit.  Is there a good time to do that?  I have also started putting in the coffee grounds from starbucks to help the soil.  Is there ever too much grounds you can put in?  Thanks.

Answer
Great work with the Starbucks. We pay so much for those cups of premium Java, it's time we got our money's worth.

You can prune your Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and misc shrubs in the spring right after they bloom.  Don't get carried away.  MAXIMUM removal is 1/3 of the shrub.

It is almost impossible to overdo the Starbucks.  By the way, if you're thinking these are too extreme for things like your Lawn or other parts of the landscape, you should know that although Coffee is an acidic soil conditioner, used coffee grounds have a relatively mild pH of around
6.7.  (Neutral pH is 7).  Starbucks coffee is much more acid, around 6.3 in one test.  But after the beans are used, they're not so bad.  Grass is quite content with a 6.7 pH.  So don't ignore your Grass when you're dishing out the Coffee Grounds.  This stuff if great for everybody except things like Lilacs and Phlox. And of course your Rhododendrons will LOVE it.

Thanks for writing.