Although, just for perspective and to point out the slight difference in climate...there are wild Kalmias growing on the Elk Neck Peninsula in almost full sun in some cases, lining the road down to Turkey Point. And 'Forever Red' is growing fine in almost full sun in my garden. The whole Peninsula was once cleared for agriculture but has reforested over the past 150 years. The Kalmias are something of a ecological mystery to me...obviously seems implausible that there was a "Johnny Kalmia seed" who introduced them, but it's curious they came to grow with such density. More than anywhere else I've seen like various drives through mountain roads in PA. In late May it is one of the most outstanding natural floral displays I've seen in the US...rivaling the Arbutus menziesii in the hills of interior Mendocino County! Alas, compared to when I moved here 15 years ago, they are now being overrun by invasives like Celastrus. 😞 When I was in perky little Australia for almost 3 weeks - a country with roughly the population of the NYC metro and a GDP that is 6% of the US GDP - I saw not one but two invasive plant control operations on-going. Granted one was just contracted landscaper of the Sands Golf Resort in Torquay spraying the grounds for some kind of invasive Compositae, but still. I asked him what it was but forget the exact name, IIRC some kind of groundsel. Point was he was spraying it because it was invasive, not just a weed. OTOH on the east coast of the US, I've never seen a targeted removal of invasives, other than by myself in my own yard! My hayseed neighbors are apparently fine with their trees all being strangled by Celastrus!

The Lowes in Dallas (8a) has carried them in season before. We got a ~4 ft one on clearance a few (3?) years ago. Regular price was probably in the range of $80 to $100 at that time. Though don't see them sold regularly this far north.

I don't grow rhododendrons but this link tells how to root both actively growing and dormant rhodis. https://www.tjhsst.edu/~dhyatt/rhodocuttings.html

-This is in Brooklyn. It's been a great spring/summer, with lots of rain and moderate heat -- though more recently, since these shots were taken. -No lawn fert spray, here in the city. Only transplants this spring were some impatiens and heuchera. The kalmia just went in last spring, along with some pieris, azalea, J ferns, carex. -The variegated J. maple is in the shadow of a big London plane. Excessive sunlight has never been an issue. -If it's root rot on the kalmia, a) how do you confirm?, b) what do you do? In it's first year it bloomed really well in early June ... and then this die-back started in late June/early July. -If clematis has mite infestation, if it's not too late should I use Neem oil or something else?