Hello fellow z6er!

All the plants can benefit from your care! Bone meal is good for roots so put a little in the planting hole to encourage good rooting and to cut down on transplant shock. "A little" are the key words here as too much can be problematic. A dusting in each hole (or a 1/2 tsp of liquid version per gallon of water) is usually all I am comfortable using without a soil test.

But in all honesty, you can relax. Unless you're in a contest, the plants you mentioned are very forgiving so even if you don't amend the soil at all they'll grow and show with water and sunshine (unless you live on a concrete block lol).

Just plant them green side up.

I don't grow Rhodie's though so I can't tell you why yours is not setting buds. :( Have you called your county extension agent? Perhaps he can help you even more!

Super Phosphate would be good for all the plants you listed. It builds roots & gives good flower power. I have used it when needed. Around a tablespoon to each plant [if plant a full size] would be good & work it into the soil. If plants are young you might want to use a couple of tsp per plant. When planting a new plant a tab of phosphate in the bottom of the hole covered with a layer of soil will make that plant take off like nothing you have seen. It builds roots on new planting great.
The Rhodie not flowering could mean it needs the phosphate but the bonemeal would help it flower also. Is your soil acid enough for the Rhodie? Maybe a little Acid fertilizer to the Rhodie would jump start it into flowering.

Thanks clumsygrdnr and mamoo-

I appreciate your suggestions. I will definitely use the phosphate sparingly. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to get out into the yard and dig in a little phosphate & bone meal.

I put bone meal in the holes when I planted my newest clems last year. I also heard bone meal is good to sprinkle on emerging daffs and such.

suebot in CT

Be very carefull sprinkling bone meal around plants. It will draw wildlife such as raccoons and other critters. The raccoons will dig up bulbs and destroy plants trying to get to the bone meal, I make sure I don't spill any on the ground, because if I do wildlife as well as dogs dig up my plants and or bulbs. I use it, but I make sure I put it in the hole very deep and not spill any on the ground and then I cover the hole with wire until the bone meal desolves or at least a couple weeks. I remove the wire before the bulbs spout from the ground. Sandy

Hi sandyl-

Thanks for the heads up about bone meal. Certainly makes sense to me. I am glad I didn't sprinkle it around my bulbs and perennials. What do you think of triple phosphate?

suebot in CT