$85 and up, depending on cultivar, for a 10G. Seldom are they offered larger than that in a retail setting outside of a specialty grower.

And I would not consider that plant to be an example of a "really mature" specimen of ARW :-) This can get to be a pretty massively sized plant given a good climate and growing conditions!

@gardengal48 I am lacking some terminology here, so you can let me know how they would describe such a plant inside the industry so I use the right description.

Most rhododendrons are described on retail websites to reach a specific target height in 10 years. 10 years is rarely the place that these plants stop growing. But 10 years is the place the website stops documenting. :) Loderi King George is described on many sites as having a height of 4 to 8 feet (but that is based on 10 years). I read owners who have 25-year-old plants describing enormous monsters, which no doubt comes as a surprise to the person who bought the plant expecting it to top out at 4 to 8 feet.

Most websites describe plants that are about 30-inch to 36-inch wide as being a "nearly mature" plant that is about six years old. "Mature" is all relative, and in this case, I guess it is relative to the magical "10-year maturity profile" I just discussed. I really don't know.

So what I was trying to say was what would be the price for a six-year-old plant that is approaching it's 10-year-growth characteristics. But that seems like a lot of words.

'Whitney' grew yards high in the Seattle area - before it started being hammered by foliage mildew, once this became prevalent here. To the extent that I would never plant one now.

Or any of the many other formerly popular rhododendrons that have been effectively made obsolete by this bane, as far as I am concerned. The only other thing I have seen be as bad on very commonly planted decorative shrubs is the photinia leaf spot that became noticeable here more recently.

And maybe the mildew that often makes 'Little Gem' magnolias gaunt in this region as well.

@embothrium don't you think a mildew is more likely to exploit a regional climate? The Bay Area is not very humid in any season. We might be able to at least treat that disease here.

Actually - unlike San Francisco and vicinity - we don't get coastal fogs every summer afternoon, after the traditional raining on 4th of July events it is quite dry here in the Seattle area. And I doubt the mildew problem is absent from or inconsequential in your area anyway. But inquire locally, commercial rhododendron growers, serious rhododendron hobbyists and people at Cooperative Extension branch offices will know what has to be dealt with there.

@embothrium and which varieties are you favoring now?

Personally, I would not let the possibility of PM deter me from selecting this rhody if it is one you like. Or any other that seems or has been documented as prone to PM. It is never an automatic assumption that the plant will contract this pathogen...........you can see many examples of ARW in Puget Sound area gardens that are untouched, including a massive one in my own inherited garden!

Good cultural conditions seem to have a positive effect on deterring this problem, so make sure plant is receiving adequate nutrients, especially if planted close to larger trees, and that it receives adequate water as well. And the disease can be treated, should it become apparent.