Tiffanyrose, Thank YOU! I had such a good laugh after reading your post. Because finally I realized what I've been missing out on. Like you, I'm a newbie and several of my plants have suffered. Not due to lack of love, but due to my ignorance/inexperience. Since my spruce started dying 2 weeks ago, I've been really discouraged. But hey, look, my lilacs are still (barely) alive, my grass is finally growing and my viburnums are still green. And my composting works! I really, really like your attitude. And congratulations on your lavender, pumpkin and sunflower!

Thanks for sharing your views. I agree one mustn't generalize, which is why I tried to add a lot of caveats. "Rhododendrons prefer the organic media to the mineral soil." Well that could be true of most of our species; but I'm fairly certain many though perhaps not most of the Asian species grow on gritty mountain soils that probably have only a very thin layer of organic duff; the plants surely have to do most of their anchoring in very abiotic mineral soils. In fact I seem to vaguely recall reading a paper pointing out that these screes have a unique mineral balance such that, even though they are not particularly acidic (suggesting again a paucity of organic material) the native Rhododendrons are uniquely adapted to their mix of cation traces and thrive. "My garden is steeply sloped with granite and granitc gneiss ledge close to the surface." So, not to seem argumentative, but you're close to having ideal conditions for avoiding root rot...not to even mention the vastly cooler climate of Maine. That you would even have a bit of trouble with, well, anything, just underscores what a difficult genus it can be. The fastest death I ever saw was a 'Biskra' from RSF. Literally keeled over a week or so after the steam bath started in late May or June. I've grown scads of oddball plants (within reason, I certainly haven't tried any Meconopsis!) but you really have to search high and low for something that sensitive. The alpine proteas of South Africa can die that quickly; though I surprised myself by getting a Protea dracomontana through at least one summer a few years ago. Anyhow...I think these products do give people in _certain_ climates a slight edge. For example I know a very serious conifer collection in NC who swears by permatil, and the NCSU arboretum used it extensively for some of their beds. But they are not a magic bullet. Correct planting and siting is the bigger part of the battle. As I probably posted elsewhere I rescued a 'My Jane' merely by moving it onto a mound...of my plain loamy clay. It was in an area I had not "improved" yet. As you said: "and place it on top of what's there without doing any digging at all." My approach is pretty close to that; most of the root mass above the level of the surrounding soil. Then mound up. However the "turfaced" bed preceded this realization and the plants in it, 'Leo', 'Captain Jack', 'Sun Dust', a few others I can't remember now...all have been doing very well for several years. And, again, it's hard for me to think things would be exactly the same if I'd (I now realize) too deep planted them in what was there before. I did give 'Leo' a little lift of 3" because I was worried it was getting a little too low. Because my county has several rock quarries I can get pea gravel delivered rather cheaply. I might try that for another tilling/grading/mounding project one day. It will be cheaper than turface by far. It's funny I'm even discussing this minutiae though...the real problem w/my rhododendron collection is I just have too many plants that I want to allow to grow unimpeded, and not enough room for them. Room with shade I should say. I've obtained a whole bunch of these Taxodium hybrids with the hope that they will create reliable, high shade faster than just about anything else out there. (cf: http://www.camforest.com/product_p/ts-tdisbanita.htm) I've been in "denial" about my high shade problem but at least have a plan of attack now. (I had not planned to take rhodies nearly so seriously until I visited Rarefind in spring of 2006...and then the addiction crept up on me without really pausing and thinking how to deal with it!)

Carolyn- with regard to your last picture- I would double-check the pairing of the plants in that container. You have an aloe, graptoveria, lithops, and haworthia all growing together. Make sure their watering needs are the same. (especially if you are taking them indoors).

I have a very tiny own root New Dawn that has a couple of canes. Longest/thickest one is maybe 1ft high. If I am planning to wrap it around a porch column, do I prune away the smaller canes as they appear? Should I want to see if they grow strong and wrap them as well? I do not want it to get too wide or deep and am planning to prune harshly and see how it goes.