Azaleas & Rose Bay rhodedendrons...

What are the green leafy plants in the center?

They are Hosta Fragrant Bouquet. They actually grow larger and will be touching. We planted thousands of hosta. about 100 different varieties. Hosta are great. They bloom at varying times and have short and tall blooms as well as a huge difference in height and leaf color.

hostas are great until you run out of friends :) who don't need any more and you have no one to give them to!!!!
and you have buckets and buckets full with no home!!!!!
the picture is what i would love to have though..i wish i have more mature trees in my yard. Also, happy to see more people feeding the birds.

I would totally disagree.
Hosta ARE great! There are so many different kinds and if used properly in a landscape, the textures and colors will MAKE a landscape look awesome! They do not have to be divided either if you just let them be and grow into each other you will eliminate weeding and mulching. So think again! Look for different hosta. Some of my favorites are. regal Splendor, Blue Angel, Fire and Ice, Sun Power, Jimmy Crack Corn, sum n Substance to name a couple.
We love to feed the birds. We have 15 blue bird houses that we check for sparrows all the time. A pair of red tail hawks have a nest in the big Oak trees! Every year the wood ducks come and check out the trees too. Lots of fun to watch.

I love hosta, but how do you keep the deer away?

i'm not an expert, Smalls Landscaping, but I have grown hostas for many years. I've always divided them after about 5 or 6 years because all the garden books say it is best to do so. It depends on which hostas they are too, some don't always need to be divided. But I have found that the ones needing division will otherwise grow into large balls and eventually will choke itself. I purchased a few varieties from White Flower Farm where they have great garden advice on hosta care.

Thank you for the input. I am going by personal experience. I have over 8,000 hosta in my own personal gardens and have had them for over 13 years. I have divided some because I wanted more of that particular variety. but I have not had any real problems with any of the choking themselves out. it might be the varieties I have, not sure.

LOL their are absolutely no deer around our house. we have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, Coon Hound and a pit/terrier mix.

I agree with Smalls, Hosta's are amazing and most people do not realize how many varieties are available. The color and textures add so much interest to gardens. Keep up the beautiful work, Smalls!

Thank YOU so much!

I planted some new varieties last year (new for me) a Blue Ivory and a Tokudama aureonebulosa (which MUST have another name, don't you think? :)) my favorites are the blue ones, especially ones with large leaves. I find that rabbits and cats like to hide under them.

I have the Tokudama also. they are cool!!

i like Blue Angel, it is HUGE

Blue Angel is in my garden at home!

does anyone know of any azaleas or rhododendrons species that do well in zone 4.

good question MaryJane. I'm in zone 5 and I planted one last fall that is still brown/green and hopefully still alive :)
I thought it would be okay by now. you might have to google a garden site for specifics on species.

The best rhododendron would be Roseum Elegans. It is by far the hardiest. The best azalea is Herbert.
They are both In th picture. Both purple.
If your rhododendron is brown green it is not doing well it should be getting new growth now. If it is not it will die.
Hope I helped.
Nancy

it will die? no!! :) :) it's partly green!!! :) it doesn't look dead :) maybe I should have named it....darn...

Thank you everyone . I am going to try one of each. I assume it needs to be in an area protected from the wind.

I LOVE HOSTA...especially very large varieties as I live in a pine forest. Any suggestions for a couple of exotic ones that would survive zone 4.

thanks and happy gardening.

I would think any hosta would grow in your zone. try blue angel, sagae, big ones.

Smalls? my rhododendron (has too many d's :)) has green branches and the leaves are curled and brownish, but I think it's alive. I fertilized it with worm casings I bought at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. I am still hoping! no new growth yet, but then my oak leaf hydrangea just this week sprouted a tiny tiny green sprout :) so you never know!

The small shrubs are azaleas, the large are rhododendrons. There are many varieties.

The Rhododendron sounds like it may have a fungus or winter kill. you should pick up all the leaves and debris from the ground and throw away. you could drench with a fungicide per directions. does not sound good though.

will do. thank you!

Please let me know if it looks better:)

oh Dear Smalls! I cleaned it up today (almost typed "toady" :)) and sprayed with fungicide. keeping my fingers crossed. in other bad news :) a hydrangea that I tried to save is probably dead after it was growing and then I fertilized it!!!! grrrrr my green thumb is on vacation.
I checked out some garden books today from our library and one of them is The Gardener's guide to growing Daylilies. I just wanted to look at the varieties. I don't need any :) I was stunned and sickened to find that there is one called "golliwog"...so I wrote to the publisher expressing my dismay. The book was published in 1998, not 1938!! what planet are these people on?? I told them it is racist and terrible and that I was hoping someone besides me had spoken up and the name had been changed. It's bad enough with other names out there using Native peoples. GRRRRRR

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