Ok, GW'ers must hear from you by Thursday if you want cuttings of my purple heart for postage. If I do not hear from anyone, they go to the compost pile. I have enough to fill a $4+ Priority Mail pkg; this is your chance to fill a spot in your shade/partial shade garden. Peggy

I know about that one, I do not remember it being stated explicitly that it is dwarf. Understated growth potential is common, there is a fear of scaring people off so plant after plant is misrepresented by commercial sources, with sizes acheived after short periods of time being called "mature" etc. 'Ancot' was also described as smaller growing, I was seeing specimens above head height in plantings here quite soon after it came on the local market.

Purple Gem is a widely available and attractive dwarf rhododendron, but unless it is grown in full sun - 6 or more hours of direct exposure - it will become "stemy" as yours has. So, it's a normal look for the ones grown in too much shade, but not as dense as it would be in more sun. The rolled leaves indicate the need for water, especially if they remain rolled in the cooler temperatures of early morning. Lack of sufficient nitrogen can cause yellow leaves, but this doesn't seem likely if it's planted in decaying pine needles. Likewise, iron deficiency is unlikely because the soil should be acid enough in this location. It may well be the natural color of the newest leaves which will become a darker green with time. MiracleGro is, at best, very temporary. A better fertilizer is Holly Tone, but wait until next year so you don't stimulate late, soft growth.

Apple, I don't know if there is any way to absolutely know "for sure" since horticulturalists generally don't sit and force feed plants to dogs or cats or other animals to discover if those plants are toxic to them or not. Any research done in that area (if any is even done) would most likely be done by agricultural teaching institutions. I didn't find purple queen/purple heart/wandering jew on the ASPCA or Humane Society lists, but like other lists of plants toxic to pets, these lists are not considered "all-inclusive" and are based partly on anecdotal reports. You might try asking your local vet, but they likely won't know either unless they've had an animal specifically eat that plant and become ill. If that small dog chews on everything, then any plant you have in the yard is potentially toxic. With some plants, only a portion of the plant is toxic....maybe the leaves or the roots or the berries or whatever. It also depends on how much of any given plant or plant part is actually ingested. The best thing is for the dog to be taught not to chew on plants. Dogs that chew on plants of various kinds often cause themselves harm. Dawn