I planted my first rhodies this spring (2 PJMs) and i have been very happy so far with how they are turning out. If i may pass along some observations ive made and see what you guys have to say about them that would be great.

Information

-Zone 5a (Central Iowa)

-Native soil is clay, but not real hard packed

-Exposure is facing SE, area gets sun till about 2-3 pm

-The rhodies are about 3' from our foundation and are somewhat covered by our eaves

-Dug hole slightly deeper then pot and 2.5-3x as wide

-Mixed native soil back in hole with some aged manure, Schultz Garden Soil (Sphagnum), and some Structure

-When planting i used 1 gallon of water mixed with a Plant Start fertilizer (3-10-3 with rooting hormone and some other goodies), i also liberally sprinkled some Scotts Acid Loving Plants fertilizer in the hole.

-Planted the rhodies about 1-2" higher then the surrounding soil

-Added 2" of cedar mulch around the rhodies but made sure none was near the trunk of the plant

Observations

-The rhodies location allows some rain but even in a down pour they dont get soaked

-The rhodies LOVE water. When we had a week of temps in the high 80's i was giving each rhodie about 1 gallon of water every 2-3 days and they would use it up by the next time i watered.

-The new growth is a lighter color then the older growth and thus far we've had about 3" of new growth. Is that about right for a PJM planted in mid to late April?

-Ive noticed on a handful of the older leaves that they will turn brownish-yellow and eventually fall off. Im assuming that the leaves were spent?

-The rabbits have left them alone thus far, is it common for rabbits and deer to leave PJM's alone? What about during the winter?

-I have three hydrangeas somewhat close to the rhodies and read that using aluminum sulfate to change the hydrangeas to blue is really bad if there are any rhodies in the area. Thankfully there is only one hydrangea we would like to keep blue and it is probably 6' from the nearest rhodie and any water/aluminum sulfate i would add to this hydrangea would run downhill and not uphill where the rhodies are at. Is that ok?

-Ive read that you dont need to fertilize your rhodies the first year since you could burn the roots because they are so shallow. My question is since that is the case but the rhodies prefer an acidic soil and mine is more then likely alkaline what should i do?

Tips/Suggestions

-Im open to any and all suggestions you have about growing and caring for my PJMs