Maybe the curl is wilt? LOL! J/K. I don't know why I keep this plant around, habit and sentimentality, it's been through most of my life with me. Just because it's indestructible doesn't mean it isn't fussy if one wants a good-looking one ALL of the time, yet in a too-small pot. I guess it's just like one of those bad kids a mother loves anyway, overlooking the bad behavior and unkempt appearance. Why don't I just stop trying to cram it into the same little hanging basket? Also forgot to mention that the number of individuals in a pot would affect how quickly the pot fills with roots. There's 5-7 in that trimmed clump in my hand. That's a lot for such a small pot and I know that. A single plant in the same pot would "last longer" but I like the appearance with a ton of leaves and many babies, even if it causes the plant to decline more quickly and repotting to come more often. If it was in some dark stuffy corner, it wouldn't grow as fast, there's that too. There's a whole gray area between just up-potting undisturbed roots and the drastic pruning from my pic. One could choose to trim less overall, or just remove the biggest "carrots." Or separate individual plants and just trim the roots of one. Braid them. (Just seeing if anyone read this far.)

I don't know where you are in central PA but Stauffer's of Kissel Hill has good Rhodies for sale and a decent variety. They have a Mechanicsburg PA location.

Donn, Thanks. I didn't do the mound, just spread the roots. Hopefully the Muhly plants are OK, one looks pretty good but the other really looks like its in shock, it was the more root bound one but it wasn't that root bound. These were rather pricey large plants so I'm a bit concerned here. I now wonder if they'd been in a protected greenhouse environment and it was too much sun too quick? Maybe I mistakenly assumed since they had them sitting outside at the store they were ready to just plant and it is Fall and not July. Time will tell.

i have a dollar store butchers knife.. and paring knife ... and ive been known to sharpen my garden trowel ... i simply quarter the root mass ... rip it apart .. and plant the thing .... i think of it like butterflying a shrimp ... but a little more gusto ... that said.. i would do it in early spring.. when soil temps are warm.. or warming.. so the plants are in active root growth phase ... i really wonder about you doing this in fall .. when soil temps are falling ... root growth is slowing.. etc ... it would be very location specific .... in my ground freeze area ... there would be a good chance.. they would not root in vigorously .. and might winter heave ... but.. you have to get it done.. so just get it done ... ken