I didnt have time earlier to provide this information. The beautiful display of flowers seen on my rhodo is on a plant that I found out was in the wrong position and not set up as best it could be. It was all leggy and doing so poorly that I wasnt game to prune or anything else. I then repotted with azalia potting mix - put legs under the pot - relocated to a spot where it gets the morning sun and up until about 2pm then shade - feed with liquid fertilizers ( Thrive - Phostrigron - Charlie Carp ) every 2 weeks or so and now I have got the rewards. I would like to know of any other things I could be doing.

This site belongs to Herman van Ree of Gelderland, Holland. At the present time he has photos for 86 plants. Much more advanced sites include: http://www.rhododendron.org/search_intro.asp for rhododendrons with 1,400 names and many pictures. and http://www.azaleas.org/azxintro.html for azaleas with 10,000 names and many pictures. I would encourage people who want to participate in photo projects to participate in these much further advanced projects which are backed by the American Rhododendron Society and the Azaleas Society of America which are both international societies despite their names.

Just plug in size, color, height @ ten years Rhododendrons http://www.rhododendron.org/search_multi.htm Evergreen or deciduous Azaleas http://www.rhododendron.org/searchazalea_intro.htm Rooted cuttings and yearlings Rhododendrons including Maddenias, Vireyas and Evergreen Azaleas. www.geocities.com/vanveennursery The deciduous Azalea 'Rhododendron occidentale' is a California native. There are many R. occidentale hybrids.

I did not mean to offend anyone, natives are good but you can't just plant them and leave them. I think you would have to do a fair bit of research regarding the best natives for your situation. You cant just stereotype them, give them the same treatment and expect them to look good. I did not tell nickyz to forget natives, just reconsider where they are to be planted. Palms (natives) do not cause the same leaf (and root) problems as other plants near pools to that would be the best option for this situation. On the gold coast I imagine that you can grow a very pleasing tropical native garden. If you do choose natives, you have to look after them. A really good book to get started is "Starting out with natives" by John Wrigley and Murray Fagg.