Right to be worried I think - looks like its gasping for a drink as much as anything. When did you plant it, and when you purchased it, where was it - under shelter, inside or fully outside on display?

Thanks Bamboo - It was purchased & planted on same day about 3 weeks ago. It was displayed outside at the GC I bought it from and was in a 5 litre pot. It had about 15 litres of water in the last 4 days plus about 3 hours of rain yesterday.

Im wondering whether I should dig it out and replant it - or is this too risky ?

When you say it had about 1.5 litres of water in the last 4 days, does that mean you never watered it between planting and until then? And how was the water applied? Its just the soil looks very dry, we've just had the driest March for over a hundred years, and any water you pour around the base of that plant is likely to run off and down, as its on a bit of a slope. Were it mine, I'd dig it up, gently, shake off the loose soil, check the rootball for dryness ( I anticipate it'll be like the Gobi desert) put it back in its pot and plunge it in a bucket of water overnight, then replant tomorrow, this time ensuring there's either a dip around the plant with a raised ridge of soil to enable water to sit in and penetrate (called puddling in), or with the insertion of a short piece of gutter pipe aimed at the roots, but left sticking up out of the ground, down which you pour water every few days.

Thanks once again Bamboo - you are (as always) most helpful. Its been watered regularly since planted but I decided to give it an extra soaking over the last few days - hence the 15 litres. You're right it is on a slope but I do create a raised ridge to catch the water & prevent it running away.

But I will as you suggest take it out again and soak as you say & replant it - I cant bear the thought of losing it as it took ages to find (its a white flowering one and it took about 8 GCs before I found one!!)

The soil does look rather dry, Paul. As well as little rain falling in March it has been very windy up here. This dries out the soil even more.

Good - this is not something I do all the time, but frankly, its my version of Emergency Resuscitation or intensive care when things are desperate. If you manage to keep it going after all this, water will be an issue right up to winter, so make sure it gets enough as time goes by.

Now I am worried - Ive just carefully lifted it out and the roots are wet - the slope has a layer of clay a bit further down and I have been puddling in - so although the soil around the plant looks dry, the root ball has been kept wet. Is it possible I have over watered ?

While its back in the pot should I feed again ?

I'm not sure how the rootball is the only thing that's wet, how is that possible, surely the surrounding soil in contact was wet too? If the roots are wet now, then you don't need to soak in a bucket, that's for sure. You can't overwater by the way, unless there's no drainage. While its out of the ground, check the rootball as far as you can for signs of invaders of some kind. And is your soil acid or alkaline?

Puddling in has kept the rootball & the immediate area wet while the soil as we move further away from the plant gets dryer . No immediate signs of any pests but if anything it looks a bit pot-bound - quite heavy orangey-light brown mat of roots which are quite hard to tease out. Soil is fairly neutral - I have had a rhoddy in the area for a few years with no problems and another newly planted rhoddy some 9-10 feet away is fine - its just this one thats struggling a bit (as sods law would have it, its the most expensive one..!!)

Sounds like you know what you're about, anyway - perhaps it dried out and has now become wet because of your most recent application of water. Hopefully you bought it somewhere you can take it back if it fails...

Did you push all the soil in around the rootball, firmly with your foot? Maybe it's not in contact with the soil. I'd go back to it and make sure it's firmly planted. Could it also be wind stress? Some shade netting round it temporarily might help to reduce transpiration (water loss from leaves).

Its out the ground now - but yes it was firmly in place - but I will give the leaves a spray tomorrow

Just a thought, have you checked for vine weevil? look at the rootball of the plant are there any tiny white grubs?, be thorough, this can be a problem, the adult form will cut holes into the leaves of rhodis, the fact that watering has made no effect could suggest possible vine weevil grubs, if not then could you not take it back to the garden centre. julien

It also looks like it was planted much too deeply. Remember the old adage: "Plant it low, and it won't grow. Plant it high, and it won't die."

You say it was a recent purchase. I think it may have had frost damage before you bought it. It seems the roots are not taking up the moisture. I would go back to where you bought it and explain. Three weeks seems a bit short for something to go wrong.

Congrats to Jen - the diagnosis was frost damage (the GC has a 'plant clinic') although at purchase time the plant looked fine & healthy....... Full refund - followed by 2 hours of driving around 6 GC's unsucessfully trying to find a replacement - seems like white Rhoddies are not popular (or so popular they fly off the shelves)

Thanks to all for the comments, help & advice

This is happening to lots of plants this year the cold weather before christmas froze plants in pots and the ones most affected are showing signs of dying now they are trying to put on growth. I think you might have to get a replacement from a nursery and not a GC or on line.
Do you know the name of the one you want if so look in the plant finder http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/
Or Google white Rodo..... and find a name you like.