Rhodyman, you are a great source of info. Thanks. The name "Linwood" definitely rings a bell, but it's hard to remember something I read 10 years ago. Both times I've been at Rarefind, I've seen many spectacular rhodies but I don't remember seeing something that looked like a big-leaf planted in the open, so you must be right that there haven't been great successes yet. Speaking of "big" except big plants this time, not big leaves, do any of the 50% R. arboreum crosses (most quite old from the 19th century) do well on the East Coast? It seems at least a couple of them must. 'Rhododendron Portraits' lists R. 'Vesuvius' as being very hardy, but it's not in the trade. Van Veen's & Hammonds though have a couple that are from this grex that I want to try. (R. arboreum X US East Coast native rhody) I'd like a plant that resembles the amazing R. arboreum plants I've seen in pictures from the Himalayas & the UK, but would be hardy here since the pure species is not hardy enough, and blooms too early. Red blooms, even if it's a muddy, off-red, and getting as tall as possible. I have a R. arboreum X R. yak hybrid from Greer that has been very tough through heat and dryness so far. (I'm a deadbeat waterer if there ever was one). But with parentage like that, summer isn't going to be the problem as R. arb. is heat tolerant and R. yak is somewhat drought tolerant. The problem is going to be winter and we haven't had one to test it yet.

Fortunately there isn't any plumbing there. The raised bed it is in has a creeklet running at the foot of the cottage stones so if its roots go down about one foot it will hit water. It really likes water. I measured some branchlets from yesterday to today and it grew 6" yesterday. This tree is beserkly happy. We sponge-painted the house 8 different colors and used metallic car paint, 2 colors, to vein the house like lightning/rain. The veins sparkle and glitter in the sun. We planted Lee's Dark Purple Rhodies all along the house in raised beds, so the trim color is the exact color of the rhody blooms and a bunch of other flowers here. Basically we painted the house to match the jungle the yard will be in a few years, so the house will blend in and "disappear." Hope the foundation will be OK. It's a big concrete slab with a manufactured house on it. There's so much great dirt and water in the yard I'm hoping the roots will seek that out rather than under the foundation. Who knows exactly which Euc it is. Frank the Eucalyptus Man has some doubts whether it's really a subcrenulata. I just want it to be happy. Here's a picture of this Euc May 12 of this spring, just a little baby. It's now way over the roof, have to prime and paint some hooks and bungee it to the eves because it flops over when the sprinkler water weighs it down. Everything's grown so much, roots finally taking hold a bit. Very excited about next spring. Hope this winter is mild and next spring very wet. More rain in the summer sure would be helpful. Lucky Washington State got rain this summer!

up here in MI ... i would say ... on old mags.. out in the country ... i get a good mag show 1 out of 3 years ... the usual suspect is a late frost or freeze killing the buds.. a week before they were to open ... sometimes a severe winter will take them out also ... plus... young trees are also variable ... the star mag is bulletproof ... again.. the annie is bigger than you wish https://www.google.com/search?q=ann+magnolia+tree&biw=878&bih=745&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6x-Wv4cLJAhXEjIMKHShlAY8Q_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9 what should you do.. how the heck do i know .... on some level you have instant gratification expectations .... and there is no solving that ... if it were me.. i would leave this one there... and go buy a star ... and plant it elsewhere... and then i would probably get the annie ... but.. thats why i am a collector ... see link for proper planting and care ... especially if you have that famous OH clay ... planting properly is imperative ... ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

I have a poplar plantation and would like to point up some of the unexpected virtues of these underrated trees. My wood was initially planted for matches, only to be totally neglected when the market diminished in the 70s. Since then, the hybrid poplars have grown on but, because of the small canopy and high light levels (planted on 6m centres), colonies of english oak, hawthorn, holm oaks and prunus spinosa have appeared, amongst the brambles. The trees are now some 70 odd years old and will need felling over the next few decades but, in the meantime, the roots have not been terribly greedy, they have not suckered or seeded and the wood has a most wonderful cathedral aspect which comes from very tall trees with light levels high enough to sustain grasses and perennials. As my small 5 acre plantation is surrounded by land-drains, I have planted many shrubby willows - the stem colours are remarkable and I use the osiers for basketry. I was initially sceptical, assuming poplar was a sort of 'trash tree' but have, in fact, found it to make decent firewood and very straight-grained timber for milling - it takes a stain wonderfully well, splits perfectly and has some good structural applications. As with all broadleaves, the faster they grow, the shorter their lifespan (although this doesn't apply to conifers)...and hybrid poplars will put on enough growth to harvest on a 15 year rotation. Add in some hazel, redwoods (they are fast too) and sweet chestnut and I feel I have a good basis for a small wood with diversity and a true wooded feel but without the gloom and non-existent ground layer associated with conifer and beechwoods. Can I also put in a plea for some of those smaller.modest trees such as sorbus, malus, amelanchiers, halesias. dogwoods, viburnums etc. Growing an understorey, as well as planting the more majestic forest trees, really does create a feeling of density, abundance and most of all, several seasons of interest, with blossom, fruits and bark.