Thanks! I think so too. Another day or so and the first truss will be blooming. :-)

Does really well in arrangements. Looks great with other rhodies, azaleas and freesias. I LOVE Cloudburst.

Thanks for the pictures.

I have one of these that I let size up before planting last spring. It grew fine in the summer and seems to have no issues with root rot, yet. However, it was severely burnt this winter. I'm not sure whether it will be able to come back. Now, it is a new cultivar. I would only cast aspersions on a hardiness rating if I were sure the hybridizer had made a mistake. The parentage certainly suggests at least zone 7 hardiness. Although not quite a polar vortex winter (and in fact probably averaged out to 'normal') the early January freeze we had were very serious. It was the coldest first week of January in Baltimore since record keeping started in 1871. It came after a fall period with unstable weather that didn't allow proper hardening. So, in fairness, I can't really make a statement about its hardiness based on my one plant, especially because it only had a year in the ground to get established. Other plants that sailed through the Polar Vortex winters, like Richard Murcott's TT240, were damaged. Even BLEs that are normally super hardy showed minor leaf burning, like the Koehne hollies.

One of the most interesting hybrids of this type is 'Nimrod' but alas doesn't seem to be in cultivation in North America. It has somewhat more subtle flowers.

I hope it comes back for your David!

I received your message about keeping my eyes peeled at Sonoma Hort for rarities. I definitely will! :-)

I guess if it is borderline hardy in Zone 7, then it will never make it in Zone 6. Too bad.

I googled 'Nimrod' and it looks very interesting.

I love that Rhodie! I'm hoping to get one from Singing Tree as well when they have them back in stockl. So far I've purchased several plants from them including 3 Azaleas. The prices are reasonable for the sizes and they have a great selection.

I wish Cori Ann hadn't left. I might try this again. I would be happy to have more spotted flowers in my garden.