In general, gall mites produce what some folks consider unsightly bumps and the like on leaves but which aren't damaging to the plant. Any chance of pictures?

Dax, perfect soil - I'm envious. Mine is improving over the years, but surely I'm at least 10 more away from perfect. My acidic clay amended with compost does make my rhodies happier than it does me... The individual stem die back is most likely caused by droughty conditions. Sometimes rhododendrons will respond to insufficient water by parts, sides, individual stems of the plant dying, almost like it's trying to conserve what moisture it does have. Same with the leaf drop on your azaleas; if there are buds present on those leafless stems, you probably have nothing to worry about. Another symptom of water stress though is reduced flowering if the plants become overly dry during the summer period when they would be setting buds....are you able to provide more water or is it not available to your garden? Borers could also cause individual branch dieback, but you would see visible evidence of those. You might want to consider addressing the rootweevils; large numbers can cause severe injury or even plant death, they aren't just cosmetically distracting. I had some luck with beneficial nematodes applied during our moist Spring, but I will also use orthene after flowering for adults in a year where I'm finding more than I'm comfortable with. Those chewed places could potentially offer a foothold for disease. Here is a link that might be useful: weevils

Dear kal2002, We've had a _Camellia sasanqua_ 'Midnight Lover' for at least ten years, and I don't recommend that variety unless you really want to have a camellia that produces black-red flowers. To me, the flowers are hideous. Not only are 'Midnight Lover's' blossoms so dark that they're virtually black, but also this variety produces beaucoups of those awful, fleshy galls in the springtime, which disfigure the plant. It would be grand as a horticultural prop in _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_. Fortunately, our 'Midnight Lover' is far away from the house, hidden by slash pines and wax myrtles. We have to make a special trip to see it, and those trips are few and far between. _Camellia sasanqua_ 'Rosea' is another truly fine arborescent variety. It is a showy garden variety with single, rose pink blossoms featuring bright yellow stamens. 'Rosea' is also historically significant in that plant historians believe it to be the first sasanqua introduced into American horticulture, probably by Augusta's renowned nineteenth-century Fruitland Nursery, which we should thank for so many of the exotic trees and shrubs that flourish in the Southeast today.

C. sasanqua is in riotous bloom right now here on Kyushu. It is grown everywhere, usually sited in full sun positions. C. japonica grows in the wild here in large numbers. It seems to bloom from January on into mid-spring, perhaps until May. It is great to see both flowers once they fall. Sasanqua leaves wonderful piles of pink petals and japonica litters the forests with perfect flowers...I'll never forget seeing for the first time all these lovely flowers scattered over fresh fallen snow in the mountains. Truly magical. PF