Yeah, it's azalea heaven here. The soil is quite acid. All I do is throw some Holly Tone down after flowering and selectively prune some of the sprawl. A huge snowfall we had 3 years back broke off some large brances, and that just made them happier. All the acid-lovers adore it in Delaware: rhododendrons, camillias, hydrangeas, blueberries, holly (the state tree). There were 6 azalea bushes here when I arrived in 2006 (including the 4 bright pink ones in the photo), and now there are 23. This is one plant that I think is OK to get at Lowe's, and I have the best success with the tiny ones they sell for $2.50 which are not pot-bound like the big specimens.I do, however, miss the formosa azaleas that grew like weeds in Louisiana: big leaves, big flowers, big tall wide shrubs. (Goodness, I do have way too much time on my hands. You are probably asleep by now.) Christine

I'm not sure :) This is only her 2nd bloom, ever... She has only gave me one other bloom, I think in 2006. I do not recall such a color change. Here was her very 1st bloom: She is quite small due to winter die back, she is not a zone 4b, that's for sure :) Today she had more pink tones, but I couldn't get a clear pic due to wind. Will try to get a pic in the AM... She is one weird duck if nothing else :) Lioness

Lou, I'll be interested to hear how your paperbark maple does. It seems like I remember a great looking one in a shady area along the stream at the Dallas Arboretum. Carrie, you are correct, this Japanese Maple receives no shade at all. Yet you can see how good its leaves look after a long summer. Only the species Japanese Maple can hold up this well, the hybrid cultivars I've tried fry in a heatbeat for me in our sun. The tree you see above would "prefer" some afternoon shade, but it doesn't require it. Randy

Sharon, we have exactly the same flowers blooming here, except for the iris! I just got back from a bike ride at the beach and passed lots of yards with many colors of roses and bougainvillea. My hibiscus bushes are blooming now too, and I have a red one and a yellow one. They used to stop blooming in the winter, but now they are tall enough that they get enough sun (They are in the front yard, which faces north). I planted some antheriums in the front yard (in a shady place so they won't get burned in summer), and they never stop blooming, but they need protection from the sun. I have magenta double impatiens that are doing well now because of the rain we had earlier. We're getting Santa Ana winds today, which means that it is warmer at the beach than downtown. Fortunately, I got an air ionizer for Christmas, which will reverse the effects of the positive ions that the S.A. winds bring. Lars