Full shade, scented, & summer interest is a tall order. Most rhododendrons will not bloom well or at all in full shade. Scented is doable, but only when they bloom. Summer interest most likely will be foliage. Here is a rhododendron with fragrant flowers and tolerant of shade: Janet Blair – 5', -20F. 'Janet Blair' has large, fragrant, frilled lavender pink flowers fading to a pale center and topped off by a blotch of yellow rays on the upper lobes. Blooms third week of May, and is better in moderate shade than most other varieties. Photo at http://rhodyman.net/rhodynfr.php#anchorH2a One deciduous azalea has very fragrant flowers and does well in shade. R. canescens – 5', -5F, Flowers can vary in shading from white to pink. Very fragrant. May blooming. Prefer moist, humus-laden, acidic soil but seem to do equally well in shade or sun. Photo at http://rhodyman.net/rhodynsh.php#anchorASS Here are some rhododendrons that will bloom with a fair amount of shade. Bow Bells may be your best bet for 2 our of 3, shade and summer interest. Bow Bells – 3', -5F. The pink flowers are followed by shiny, copper colored new leaves. As the season progresses, the mound becomes a superb jade green with rose-red bud scales for another show of color. Fertilize lightly if at all, as an excess of fertilizer will cause foliage burn more easily than on most rhododendrons. Boule de Neige – 5’, -25F. The flowers are white, It blooms well in deep shade. Elviira – 2', -30F. It grows well in shade. Flower buds open bright red. Loderi King George – 6', 0F. Huge pale pink flower clusters that turn white as they mature. If given enough shade they are also drought tolerant. Nova Zembla – 5', -25F. Dark red flowers in a ball-shaped cluster. Shade tolerant. P.J.M. hybrid rhododendrons. Rhododendrons in the 'P.J.M.' group are smaller, growing to a height of 3 to 5 feet tall. Form is rounded and the foliage is leathery and dark green until fall when it turns almost purplish. One of the reasons rhododendrons in the 'P.J.M.' group are such heavy bloomers is that the plants do not set seed. They are among the most shade tolerant rhododendrons. They include the following: Black Satin – 3', -20F. It has dark rose-pink flowers. Fall and winter foliage is glossy and very dark purplish-black. Desmit – 1', -20F. It has vivid, showy, pink flowers. Elite – 4', -25F. It has vivid, showy, rich pink flowers. Henry's Red – 4', -25F. It has vivid, deep red flowers. Low Red Frilled 4', -25F. It has vivid red flowers. Molly Fordham – 4', -20F. It has vivid, white flowers. Olga Mezitt – 3', -25F. It has vivid, peach-pink flowersl. Regal – 5', -30F. It has vivid, light purplish-pink flowers. Victor – 4', -25F. It has vivid, light purplish-pink flowers. Weston's Pink Diamond – 5', -10F. It has frilled, double, vivid, pink flowers. Ramapo – 2', -25F. Flowers are bright violet-pink. Tolerates shade. Red River – 5', -20F. It is a red flowered maximum. It has the late bloom and the large leaves of maximum. The flowers, larger than maximum's flowers, are bright red with a white throat and small yellow dorsal flare. Tolerates shade. Snow Lady – 2.5', +5F. It produces an abundance of snowy white flowers and has fuzzy green leaves. To see photos of the flowers and more details, visit http://rhodyman.net/rhodynsh.php#anchorHR

'Fragrant Blue' is one of those cultivars I've had a love-hate relationship with. I love its size, its shade of blue, its glaucous leaves, I hate its slow growth and the fact I've never smelled fragrance from its flowers. Until last year. I divided my original plant into 3 divisions 3 years ago to accommodate a trade request, kept 2, traded 1. One went back into its original spot and has grown, but nothing to write home about. The other I potted up and has done WAY better. It went from a single shoot 3 years ago to where this spring there are 7, but more important than that, it flowered last year and I got to smell its fragrance. It's rather different from most other fragrant hostas, not like 'Fragrant Bouquet' and its derivatives at all. Don't quite remember what it reminded me of, but I'll make a point of being more observant this year. I'll go way-out on a limb here, but I suspect that all of us who have slow-growing 'Fragrant Blue' samples have never smelled its fragrance, but if you're fortunate enough to have one that is more vigorous -like its supposed to be apparently- you probably are one of lucky ones who have. Pieter

I can smell it, and it IS supposed to be fragrant, however a lot of people can't detect it. It is faint compared to the Guacamole family. and VERY faint compared to Plantaginea. I have a cross of Salute x Plantaginea that is about the same degree of fragrance, so it is special to me mostly. There are some tastes and smells that are only detectable by some people who have the right genetics for it. We did an experiment on that in High School. I can't smell Lily of the Valley, but people tell me it smells great. Dave

Oh I love my Fragrant Blue. In fact, I'm thinking of returning the Diana Remembered I purchased a couple of weeks ago (but didn't plant yet) for another FB. It is the prettiest almost turqoise-ish or dark aqua, and it last very well. It's such a bright spot in my garden, even though it's a blue! By the way, it's not really fragrant, at all! Not sure why the name! Here's mine last summer: janice