I have a lot of mature rhodies and I’m pretty ure I have Rhododendron 'Catawbiense Album'

It is not a soft yellow, however. I can try to find a photo. I like it. White with lavender and a lime green splotch.

Here is a link (UK). https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/rhododendron-catawbiense-album

In zone 5a in decidous woodland and wetlands and wanted a naturalized upper slope if mixed rhodies since we have dappled light and acidic soil. I like a variety, in various heights and colors mixed with other shrubs such as doublefile viburnum, and V. carlessii.

I started from scratch, buying 12” plants on sale in spring, sometimes at ”warehouse” or ”lot” stores. I plopped them into ”holding areas” until we could landscape the mounds of lunsifted loam. That was over 30 years ago. I didn’t need to move the plants. Now they are large, and some of the ”maxima” varieties are huge. Robbins, thrushes and cardinals nest in them. I’m so glad that I did that. I have even propagated some (cuttings).

Are you thinking of buying establish plants or small ones and waiting for them to grow?

I'm hoping to get a plant that is about a foot or two tall at least. I don't mind waiting, but don't want tiny little things like from Bluestone lol.

I do have a good nursery fairly close and should take a look there. I'm so short on time though with new twins in the family, and had hoped to get this planted this fall. But looks like it might become a winter project lol.

I'm thinking of a viburnum in this area too. That will definitely be a next year project lol. Just ordered an ilex, so hoping the ilex, the rhodie and the viburnum will give me a nice privacy screen. Also eyeing a chamaecyparis Soft Serve Gold but I'm not sure I have enough room for all of them. But one at a time lol. First, the rhodie!

Thanks, petalique!

:)

Dee

Oh, you want some for privacy? Mine serve that purpose. I will try to find some photos. But, I had very little money, so started with some $5 gallon plants about 12” to 24” high. That was over 30 years ago, but they have been large for 20 years or more. I also planted some baby hemlocks I discovered, then transplanted.

I have a little ”secret room” amid the rhodies, viburnums and an autumn olive.

Here is a cousin of PJM, named ’Olga’ (Olga Mezitt, via Weston Nursuries). I bought it many years ago from the ”wounded” section (discounted) of another nursery. Now she is a big girl.

‘Olga” in May

Where she is planted is an area that is a few feet lower than the foreground. I keep meaning to grow cuttings. Maybe next year. This plant is fool proof and easy. It blooms two weeks earlier than PJM. (Looks like I need to yank that red oak volunteer!)

Wonderful that you are blessed with twins, Dee.

i bought capistranos from Wayfield which are a lovely buttercream yellow.

kitasei I LOVE the capistranos but I don't think they get high enough - I believe I read about 4 feet high? I need at least 5, preferably 6-7 feet. I know that's a ten-year estimate and shrubs can grow taller but I want to make sure lol.

My neighbor has a row of burning bushes (ugh) on our property line and I noticed the other day they are not doing well. No problem in and of itself, (I hope they all die lol) but as this is near the street and near an intersection, I'm thinking ahead and planting my own shrubs so I have some privacy when the BBs kick the bucket. I have a huge mockorange there now but I have been toying with removing it almost since I planted it 20+ years ago. Sporadic bloom, and the much-vaunted scent has only appeared twice in all that time, and that in the last three years. I'm leaving it for now for the privacy but will likely yank it.

petalique that Olga is magnificent. I do prefer pinks but this is near a bed where I relegate my red, orange and yellow flowers to, so think the white or yellow blooms would work better.

I actually had a giant (15 foot?) rhodie with gorgeous soft pink blooms - smack in front of my picture window in front of my house. It towered over my roof! For 25 of the 27 years I've lived here I struggled with removing it (and some 8-10 foot pieris and yews also planted in front of the house). A case of the wrong plant in the wrong spot. The house was hidden and they were planted literally 1.5 feet from the foundation, but were beautiful shrubs. Even looked into having them dug up and moved but that cost thousands. Finally bit the bullet and sadly chopped down everything two years ago. I did try several times to get cuttings from this rhodie but never had success. The darn thing threw up a single stem after being cut down and is growing again. I am going to try for cuttings next year, one more time before I remove it and replant.

Yes, thank you, we are so blessed with our little girls! <3

:)

Dee

Dee, I have a couple of R. maximum that are very tall and in the upslope background. Fortunately, when I put these in what I thought was a ”temporary” holding area, I place the R. maximum to the back, further upslope. I’m going to guess they are 10 to 13 fett tall. IIRC, the blooms are pink. They are in dapple light (some nearby Acer rubrum) and in acid soil that is evenly mist and well drained.

Do you have such conditions? There are some rhodies that do fine in more sun — ’Nova Zembla’ and ’America’ (reds). I have both of these and wish I’d propagated some. The NZ is a more open form. PGM and Olga do fine in more light.

Diggerdee, you can transplant the big one for an instant screen. I have done it! Rhodies are the easiest shrub to dig up as they have small root balls.

kitasei I thought of that. But now, lol, the "big" one is about two feet tall and one stem haha! I am indeed going to try to move it - I loved this thing so much, such soft pale pink blooms and not the often, IMO, garish colors you see. But it was probably planted at least 50 years ago, and the soil is like cement. The "trunk" that's left is quite hefty. I'm not sure how the transplant will go. Although, I guess if I can get it out and replant it, it may grow fairly quickly. My plan, when I took cuttings, was to put them in the far back of my property, in the "woods" between me and my neighbor. Can't see their house at all in summer, but in winter you can see everything lol. Not a real problem as the houses are far apart but I thought it would be nice to have a bit of a screen back there.

petalique the area I'm looking to fill is part shade, part sun, (more shade than sun) very moist acidic soil. There used to be two big oaks there that were taken down. There'a a big... cedar??? there now, and an oak that has grown and gotten alarmingly big - shading my veggie garden now! The electric company has told me they are going to clear out that corner three times now in 25 years, due to the power lines, but they never come back and do it. I sure wish they would. They apparently won't do it until I plant shade loving shrubs haha!

This area is full of sassafras too, which is the bane of my gardening existence lol. I'm constantly cutting back the sassafras. That and grapevine. Sigh...

:)

Dee

Diggerdee, check out White's Nursery in Germantown MD. You would have to come down this way, but maybe come to DC for a weekend and pick a rhodie up on your way back. Small family nursery and started branching out from azaleas a few years ago. Mike's azaleas are the best and I plan to get some native Rhododendron maximum from him either this fall or next spring. I have been buying from him for more than 20 years. Not sure how much more I can fit in here!

White's Nursery

Cunningham’s White gets to 6’ at maturity. I think that it is the one I often see throwing out a few fall blooms.

cyn427 I wish I knew about White's when my mom lived in DC lol. Would have been a nice (and regular lol) little side trip!

Thanks Babs! I'll add that to my list to investigate!

:)

Dee

I must have a Cunningham's White. It is about that tall but VERY wide. It blooms every fall and spring, but neither bloom time is notable because it's never enough flowers to really wow. The buds that bloom in fall just reduce the number of blooms you get in spring and thus take away from the overall beauty in spring.

Hmm, thanks deanna. I'm trying to find something taller than wider... I kind of hate that I have to use space in this bed for this privacy hedge, but I guess I can't expect my neighbors to do it for me lol. Sigh.... My life would be so much easier if I could just make a decision once in awhile lol. Although I have to say conflicting info one finds on plants is not at all conducive to making a decision! Especially when you are indecisive to begin with lol!

The search continues...

:)

Dee

Dee, HOLD ON! two things:

1. I just re-read something you wrote above:

”I actually had a giant (15 foot?) rhodie with gorgeous soft pink blooms - smack in front of my picture window in front of my house. It towered over my roof! For 25 of the 27 years I've lived here I struggled with removing it (and some 8-10 foot pieris and yews also planted in front of the house). A case of the wrong plant in the wrong spot. The house was hidden and they were planted literally 1.5 feet from the foundation, but were beautiful shrubs. Even looked into having them dug up and moved but that cost thousands. Finally bit the bullet and sadly chopped down everything two years ago. I did try several times to get cuttings from this rhodie but never had success. The darn thing threw up a single stem after being cut down and is growing again. I am going to try for cuttings next year, one more time before I remove it and replant.”

Sigh! If I lived close by, I would help you move that gorgeous sft pink rhodie. but it is not too late to move it and resurrect it. It’s unfortunate that you looked into having it moved. Usually those people have expensive equipment and want to be sure all of the shrub or tree survoives and looks good. Thus they need to charge so much.

But you do’t need perfect. Rhodies are, in my experience, very forgiving, especially if you are willing to meet them half way.

Example, our builder came by one day with a 2-3 ft wide rhohie rootball that a customer wanted to removed. The builder knew I was planting and ”homeowner budget landscaping” (after getting estimates in the tens of thousands).

I had nothing to lose and took the shrub rootball. I had other commitments so just buries the rootball (maybe 4 leaves on it) in the half native, half gravel soil at the edge of our driveway. I just kept it watered and maybe put a bit of bark mulch around it, in part sun. It took off and within five years looked okay — one of those common pink-purple medium tall rhodies that are everywhere. I like them but prefer the more purple - pink variety of the same thing. Now it is a large flowering shrub that conceals a small plastic utility lift top shed. I disn’t have to move it. Sometimes things just work out.

Above, ____ commented that rhodies like this can be very moveable. Maybe trim it down a bit if it’s huge. What have you got to lose?

I suggest doing this: Dig out a receiving hole for it (by the property line, but leave enough space so that when it gets full size, it won’t be growing over onto your neighbor’s property, even if he says it’s okay). Then, after keeping the new hole well watered, and the plant to be move well hydrated, dig around the rootbvall, say about 1.5 feet to 2 ft. You can trim the roots you encounter or, do as I do, and yank some of them free. Drag this onto a poly plastic or canvas tarp and drag it to the new location site and prepared hole. Plant it, keeping the root-soil level the same. Water it in as you go, tamping down the soil. There is no need to put anything into the new hole. Especially in the fall and because you only have some of the roots. Just tamp in in with enough good native acid soil. Keep it moist, but it does not want to be continuously wet. Put some wood much or bark mulch or shredded keaves around it (noy against the stems or bark, however). Cold weather is here and soon frost then winter.

Be careful not to let the rootball get dry. Keep evenly moist. In the spring and realy summer, keep the root ball evenly moist. You can let it get dry a bit for a few hours, but never dessicated. Keep weeds away, but don’t fuss. give it a good year with care to get established. This sounds like a lovely rhodie, so be sure to plan and allow it ample space.

I think shrubs like this look best when planted a bit offset — not planted in a row. A ”row” is unattractive, unnatural and looks too beginner-unsophisticated, so please, allow some random spacing.

Next. think about scouring nurseries and ask for any unsold (good ones, hardy for your area) or ”deals.”

Other shrubs I have mixed in with my not-straight-line, but offset border for privacy are:

— Doublefile Viburnum

— Native wild tallbush blueberry. It was growing nearby, so I just did my tarp transplanting technique to move it.

— A Native mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) that I left growing

— Viburnum carlessii — a frangrant pink-white snowball sort ~ Korean spice viburnum.

— Another white flowering viburnum with red berries for birds in late summer.

— Native hemlock that I either bought or found and transplanted (easy). Them hemlocks are in the upslope background, close to or on the propert line. I trim them every few years in the spring before they leaf out.

You can look on Craigslist for free plants that might incluse hemlocks, arborvitea, azalea or rhodies. One plant that someone gave me (forgot its real name) is locally dubbed ”swamp pink” — it is a very fragrant pink azalea, native to our area. It is thriving right where I placed it, next to ’Olga.” and blooms a bit later. It is about 6 to 7 ft tall and is growing with olga on the northeast side of the house by a stone wall. Pefect setting as it turned out. I shold get some cuttings of this going.

You do not need to spend a lot of money or time to have a lovely patch or border of acid loving, blooming shrubs. They are pretty easy to grow from cuttings or layering and easy to plant or move. I have not pruned mine and thdey make a thick wide staggered border. Songbirds like carinals, thrush and robbins enjoy the shelter they offer.

Go for it. Get going ;-)

I think we have similar soil and light, Dee. I have sassafras as well and just let it be. I love the leaves. I planted (borrowed from another setting) some Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepper bush) and transplanted into the area whwere my sassafras are gowing. This shrub likes moist soil, acid soil , pt shade and gives fragrant blooms in late summer. Do you know it? Want some seeds? I moved some small plants and roots from a ratty no mans land, but I think the seeds would take outdoors in your sassafras area. I can get Moutain Laurel seed and birch seed too. It is super easy to grow paper birch from seed. I do it all the time, and now have a plantation of seedlings I must relocate, give away or $rehome$. I am bonkers for hemlocks and paper birches.

Sorry this got tobe so long. I want to encourage you to get started ;)

PS I had a pretty azalea, “lemon lights” but I couldn’t keep up with my gardens and I think a raspberry patch consumed it. That was a very nice shrub.

Petalique, wow, thanks so much for taking so much time to answer. Much appreciated! I have to run out now but will definitely respond more fully over the weekend.

:)

Dee

Petalique and NHBabs, I tried to remove an older 5-6’ azalea last month. Our problem was getting UNDER the bush. I just couldn’t access it, or couldn’t get the shovel far enough in. I worked for two hours with a shovel but it’s like I needed a 2’ blade to actually get underneath the plant to dig up or cut the roots. They weren’t as shallow as I thought, or there were other very old tree roots that were hindering access to the azalea’s roots. Ideas? It is a beautiful plant and I really want it in an area of the yard where it will be seen and enjoyed.

NHBabs, you actually identified it for me once several years agho and I cannot remember your ID or the thread. It’s white with yellow accents and is fragrant. I cannot remember if it’s evergreen because it’s in an area of the yard that is ignored in winter. If it is evergreen then the leaves are not the thick long ones of evergreen rhododendrons.

Deanna, Northern Highlights is a yellow and white deciduous azalea that is scented.

I think that’s it. You are awesome! Thank you!

Here’s a link that shows a close up and a wide shot. Lovely.

https://plants.gertens.com/12070009/Plant/1252/Northern_Hi-Lights_Azalea/

Deanna,

We sometimes use a long steel pry bar as well as a mattock and have a heavy duty limb pruner available. Sometimes we need to widen the hole or access. If I really wanted that shrub, I’d trim some of the roots and some of the upper growth. I think if you’re going to transplant it with only a portion of the roots, you wouldn’t want all of that growth on it (too much moisure demand for the new trimmed root ball).

This shrub sounds so lovely, maybe I shoukd drive up and take it off your hands ;-)

You have to get someone (DH, buddy) to help you, perhaps).

Okay, five days later I finally have a few minutes to answer lol!

Petalique, thanks for taking the time to write such a complete and thoughtful post. I have indeed been considering moving this rhodie. It will be much easier now as it is only one stem that is about two feet tall lol. I should run and take a picture.

What makes me hesitate is I do believe this rhodie may have been planted when the house was built in the 1950's. If not then, then I believe in the 70's. The soil in front of the house is like cement!! And there are signs of some rock, which frightens me slightly lol, as we are on rock ledge and God only knows how things will go once I put the shovel in the ground!

But perhaps in the spring I will get up the motivation and try. We cut down the shrubs in front about three years ago, and then the pandemic and other life issues got in the way, so I am hoping next spring to finally replant the foundation (I actually wrote a whole long post, complete with pictures, three months ago asking for ideas, and lost it when I tried to post. Ugh. Just didn't have the energy to rewrite all that lol.)

I've also considered viburnums for this area as well. And will have to look up that swamp pink azalea. I agree with your opinions on the staggered look as well, but I may fudge things a bit into more of a straight line. These shrubs will be taking up some valuable garden real estate, which is why I'm looking for taller rather than wider. I wish my neighbors were more of the gardening type and would realize their shrubs are going and replace them, but obviously I can't expect my neighbors to be responsible for my privacy lol.

I take care of a garden in the neighborhood that is extremely wet - you could even call it swampy, and I planted clethra there that is lovely. I'm not sure I have the moisture requirements for it here in my garden, though. And I'm not a huge fan of mountain laurels. I always wondered why they are the CT state flower/shrub when they never seem to do really well here lol. I love the blooms, but I feel like almost every mountain laurel I've seen always seems scraggly and like it's hanging on for dear life!

Babs, your comment about the durability of rhodies put me in mind of George who used to post here - EGO45 I think was his user name. Do you remember him? He had a gorgeous garden, and we used to see him at our twice yearly swaps. He would always say how hardy and hearty rhodies were. His line was "Whack 'em back! 6 inches!" accompanied by a chopping hand motion. In addition to being a great (and generous!!) gardener he had a great sense of humor. Wish he would post again!

Thanks for all the ideas!

:)

Dee

So I went out and took a quick pic of my little rhodie.

Hard to see the scale here but it's about 2 feet tall, and the stump is pretty hefty - probably at least 8 inches in diameter

You can see a bit of the rock to the back left of it above, and in the photo below

For scale, here's my foot on the rock

Which should make you see why I'm hesitant to dig lol.

And all this has no bearing on my need for a white or pale yellow rhodie for the other side of the yard hahaha!

:)

Dee