Really want some Flame azaleas and Rhododendron (prefer rooted) cuttings or starters. Have lots to trade

If you want to "plant moss" just put a chunk of moss in a blender with some buttermilk or yogurt. Then sprinkle this mixture around where you want moss. In case you are wondering, the milk is to provide a moist acidic carrier and the spores in the moss are what will grow. As jean001 said, it works best in a moist shaded area with compacted soil. Some moss will turn brown during a severe drought, reviving when moisture returns. Some species are known to survive for as long as ten years without water. Most diseases and insects that affect grass do not bother moss, although moss does not like air pollution (it is seldom found along the roadside. No need to improve and lime the soil since mosses grow easily on compact clay soil and most types can be easily encouraged by an acid soil (pH 5.5 is optimum) and by moisture. You can use rhododendron fertilizer or skim milk powder on moss as fertilizer. Here is a link that might be useful: Create a Moss Garden

I have used a number of methods of protecting such rhododendrons and azaleas here in SE PA. You do want them to get cold and stay cold. Hence a garage attached to a heated home is probably not the best place. We have an unheated garage far from our house, so it is great to store such plants as it tempers the extremes in temperature and gives a good average temperature. I have shelves in the north windows and set the plants on these shelves. That way they get light as they come out of dormancy in the spring. I just check every few weeks to make sure they don't need watering. They seldom need any watering. I moved all of them into larger pots before storing since some were in very small pots. I have used a cold frame set up like a Nearing frame facing north and shielded from direct sun. That worked well. I have set them in a north facing area and buried the pots with leaves leaving the tops exposed to light. A friend puts his in his north facing window wells which naturally get some leaves in them and has excellent luck. Another friend puts his second year seedlings in hoop houses located in an area with high shade. He leaves the ends open. That works well for him. Actually the deciduous azaleas are probably the most hardy and the easiest to care for. My concern is making sure that even the deciduous azaleas are exposed to light so they know when to break dormancy. That way I don't have to worry about when to move them or uncover them. I just watch what they do naturally.

If you can get some hostas for your flame azaleas, great. I could give you a couple of healthy hostas but I don't know their names. I have a few and they are doing really well. If you can get a whole lot of hostas for your flame azaleas, go for it, but if you don't get a better offer, I'm definitely interested. The only thing is timing. I would have trouble getting to your area before Oct 7, but I plan to go to the swap that day and would be delighted to go on to your home from there -- if that's not later than you want to get your azaleas out of the bed! So there are some "ifs" for you if you don't get a better and more timely offer! Thanks