Me again, are there are any other Rhodies with leaves as huge as the R. Maximum? Poaky1

Googling rhododendron maximum for sale should turn up several online sources. Retail nurseries in PA would seem likely places as well. Long distance analysis of your growing conditions and reasons for the difficulties you're having with this species just isn't possible. There are many species and hybrids with leaves larger than maximum. Narrowing down what you're looking for would be very helpful.

Mainegrower, name some of those Rhodies that have leaves as large or larger than R. Maximum. I have searched for the R. Maximum to no avail as far as sources for purchase. Poaky1

Just a quick Google search turned up Gardens of the Blue Ridge with several sizes available via mail order, abnative plants, Behmerwald Nursery in Schwenksville PA.

Keep in mind that leaf size is influenced by environmental conditions as well as genetics. Off the top of my head, hybrids with large leaves: Independence Day (either a maximum hybrid or selection), Phyllis Korn, Spellbinder, Hardy Giant, some Dexter hybrids such as Wyandanch Pink, Great Smokey, some of the new Southgate hybrids. Species: The true Asian big leaf species such as rh. Rex are pretty much ungrowable in the East. I have had very good success with calophytum and hyperythrum. The latter is relatively easy to grow, the first will not withstand a great deal of heat so is best in cool mountain or coastal locations.

Akamaingrower, I appreciate the references. I do indeed have trouble with the native Rhod. Maximum. I think that the last one I tried needed watered more often the first year than I gave it. I do have the one that is growing slowly, and I water it when rainfall is scarce, and it has mostly shade. I have noticed those up the mountains are all in shade, so it needs the shade. I am glad that I can possibly get a large leaved rhody for my yard. And our local nurseries don't have anything but the usual hybrids you can get at the big box store. I did not use Google when I searched, I used Yahoo, but I am glad to have a few options. Poaky1

Well Maine grower, I successfully ordered a Rhod maximum from Gardens of the blue ridge, they want to wait til the end of September to deliver, so all is fine. But, I also did take a ride up the mountains locally here and collected some flower trusses from our local/native Rhod maximum. Most are still green. I have a good amount of trees, mostly oaks, but the majority are about 20 ft, some 15 ft tall. So I can start some seeds under these 15-20 ft oaks, and by the time the native Rhod. Maximum get taller the oaks should be able to shade them well. I'll plant them on the north side of these smaller oaks. However these trees are spaced apart more than your average woodland. I have thought of planting more trees and having a woodland type area, but, I know that with the trees where they are there will be a shaded area, like a woodland with the trees about 15-20 ft apart, instead of a few feet like the average wooded places up the mountains. So I will need to cut the grass between these oaks until they get their growing going with robust. So that is why I am planting these trees with some pretty good distance between each other. And I can't help but think that in a woodland area, before the trees put out some dense shade, you are going to need to eradicate some undesireables like good ole Poison Ivy, poison oak and lots of invasive shade dwelling plants, invasive non-native varieties of Honeysuckle. There are lots of non natives that need to be eradicated in the yards of people that are trying to have a nice shaded area near their house. It can be hard in these places because the lawnmower isn't so easily used here, and the once small little plants that come up in this "kinda-woodland" are not recognized to be the invaders that they do eventually become. So those that make their yards into a nice peaceful woodland, need to still control some plants that seem like they just would never go wild and smother most of the native plants and make your wooded landscape into "their kingdom". It is important to keep up with the areas you have hoped to keep desired plants only in. It only takes a couple days to lose control of what happens in a garden. Poaky1

If you want to try growing some rh. maximum from seed, start some moss growing in a flat over suitable soil. Get rid of any weeds growing in the moss. Wait until the seed ripens, then sow on the surface of the moss. Type of moss doesn't matter a great deal. i've always used haircap moss. Enclose the whole flat in a plastic bag and place under fluorescent lights on a timer set for 16 to 18 hours. Gradually open the bag as the seed germinates. Use liquid fertilizer at 1/4 strength monthly once the true leaves have appeared. If you've sown the seed thinly enough, no transplanting into larger flats or individual pots should be needed for the first year. It will be 3 to 5 years before they are ready to plant out.

There is a very nice book, The American Woodland Garden, possibly available at a local library or used online, that has lots of information and inspiration for what you propose to do.

Akamainegrower, I may be able to get some(moss) from the area in the mountains where they (rhodies) grow, but just in case I can't, I have craft moss already, it is the green stuff that is dried out. Not spanish moss, reindeer moss, I think. If it's sterilized I will get some soil from the mountains where they are and get the craft moss dirty with this native area soil. I am shocked that it would be 3-5 years before they are transplanted where they will live. So it makes sense that the only native Rh. Maximum I have alive is soooo small yet. It makes me happy to know that it just needs time, and it will eventually get some size to it, and it is NORMAL for them to take forever to get big, the roots are happy and it should be noticeable eventually. Now it is about 1-2 inches tall. It had about 3 leaves on it when I dug it up a couple years ago. As for the question about mowing between the trees, unless I can make some large "Islands" of mulched area, I will have to mow between them. Thanks again for the nursery sources, the Gardens of the Blue ridge, or whatever the name is, have the Rh Max at a good price, well, worth it for how slow they grow from seed. Last question, If I just wait til the trusses turn tan/brown, then sow on the moss, or should they be chilled at all? The seeds that is. And once they sprout, will they need to be chilled during the winters before final transplant? Thanks for your help, Poaky1

Moss sold for crafts has probably been treated, dyed, etc. You want living moss. If that's not available, the next best thing would be milled sphagnum moss sold with other seed starting supplies over a base of something like Promix or Sunshine mix. I have, however, had much better germination and growth using live moss. Look in shady corners anywhere. Moss is pretty common and the type is not important. The seed capsules should be kept in a warm place until they begin to turn brown, then split on their own and release the seed. The seed is very fine - almost like dust - but try to sow thinly. Overcrowding increases the chances of diseases and stunts growth. No chilling is necessary for germination. Once they are in individual pots, a period of cold will do no harm, but in the early stages you want to keep them growing. Gardens of the Blue Ridge has been a family owned - i'm assuming that's still the case - source for wildflowers and native plants for at least 80 years. I have a rhododendron catawbiense that's now about 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide purchased as a small plant from them some time in the early '70's. likewise with a sizable patch of shortia galacifolia.

Akamainegrower, I went today where the natives grow wild and got some moss from a log. I also, dug up some of the soil there. I bought some of the Mosser Lee Sphagnum moss before I knew if I could find some moss in the woods. I am planning on mixing some soil from the woods with some compost I made, and a little used potting soil, put the mixture in a flat, put the moss on top, water lightly, then put in a bag, or keep moist til the seed capsules release the seed. Is that okay? I have seen the seed before, I tried to direct sow some last fall, or the fall before, bad memory. I know what you mean about the dust-like seeds. I will possibly look in fall for some more, I just didn't want to miss out. Some seeds are already on some plants, and now is the time if you hope to beat the birds to them, sassafras is one like that. If you read this soon, is it okay to have some soil under the moss? I am thinking it will help if the sprouted seeds have something to send roots through. Thanks Maine Poaky1

Update Maingrower, my couple Rhod. Maximum, are actually doing great in alot of shade, as well as my one Rhod max Roseum. It was a matter of not enough shade for them, but, now, I want to get a couple more Rhododendron Cynthia. I will be searching for them now. They can takre a good bit of sun.

Mainegrower if you still are following this thread, I bought a 3rd Rhod Max, it's doing fine in mostly all shade, but, I want a few more Rh. Max. and my sources are out, those sources are Rarefind Nursery and Gardens of the blue ridge. Mainegrower or anyone else know of any other places I can possibly get a couple more? Well, Gardens of the blue ridge (in NC) have only balled and burlap Rh. Max. I am sure they aren't shipping those and if they were I would'nt want to pay the overall price. Any help is welcomed. I still want to locate the Rhod Cynthia, but, if I can't find any more, I can likely find another large growing sorta sun tolerant rhodie for the area I need them in. Anyone reading this have any advice on a (6 ft in 10 years) Rhodie I can plant near the 1 Rh Cynthia I currently have. Pink and white are preffered, but, purple may look fine along the Pink of Cynthia. I may just be able to find a nice one at the big box store. The Rh Max of course is hard to find anywhere for sale.

An update that I likely don't need to add, but, my above post about sowing the Rh. Max seed in moss. They never germinated. I thought a couple did but, it was some weed seed and the like. So no luck.

wild rhodiesI am happy to mention that I found 2 Rhod maximum at a nursery that is about 2 hours from me. They are potted. I also have a few pics I had taken up out mountains near Ohiopyle. pa

Another pic of Rhod maximum wild rhodies

Another pic wild rhodies

Anotherwild rhodies

I have more pics, if you keep clicking on my pics you can see several other pics taken that day showing the Rhod. Maximums near where the waterfall is (cucumber falls) near Ohiopyle Pa. A day seeing this area puts me in a good mood.

I can vouch for Gardens of the Blue Ridge. I planted a 3-gallon R. maximum in the Spring of 2014 - It spent 2014 and 2015 establishing, but with a little bit of hollytone this year it has 8 inches of new growth as well as a few blooms. I pinched back the terminals, which flushed back out from side buds, giving me 3 new twigs on each branch of last year's growth.

Far as I can see, the key to growing these is organic matter. I piled up a whole bag of aged pine bark mulch, lightly dug it into the soil, planted the rootball about 3 inches above grade, and dumped another bag of pine bark around it. The roots have filled the whole area and the Rhododendron is growing quite happily! This is in humid, rain-every-other-day Indiana, mind you. I've planted a bunch of English roseums this spring in the same manner, and they look great. I keep the soaker hose handy, though, and if it hasn't rained in a week, i'll run it on them for a few hours. That's only if there's no rain predicted the next few days, of course.

I've also got about 30 four-inch tall maximums I started from seed this spring - Sift finely ground pine bark through a kitchen sieve with a wider mesh, and mix it 1:1 with moist loose peat moss. Wet it well, and microwave it for 5 minutes (!), let it cool, and put it into a 2-inch deep high-dome propagator; I've got a few smaller ones that I bought off of Greenhouse Megastore, which have worked exceptionally well. Spread the seed out evenly over this, and mist with distilled or reverse osmosis wate, and set the tray under a fluorescent light fixture, timed for 16 hours. Seedlings will germinate quite readily (My seed was from 1996!), and grow slowly. After the cotyledons expand, sift a very thin layer of pine bark over the seedlings - Just enough to fill in between the seedlings, NOT completely cover them - so they don't fall over when you mist them. After two or three true leaves have formed, mist them once per week with a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer; soluble tomato fertilizer works very well. After the first few leaves have fully expanded, prick them out into individual 2-1/4" liner pots, using a mix of 1/4" or less pine bark mulch and moist loose peat moss, at a ratio of 3:1 respectively. Mix Osmocote 18-6-12 into the soil at about 3 lbs per cubic yard, as well as Micromax at about 1.5 lbs per cubic yard. (There are about 7 gallons in a cubic foot and 27 cubic feet in a yard, should be able to work the math backwards from that). If you start them in January, they should be ready to transplant in March. Give them about 1/8 teaspoon of 3-4 month release Osmocote in June, and they will be nice little seedlings with a good, healthy bud by October. I have actually had success planting these the same year in the ground - You'll lose a few, but the remaining ones will definitely be tough!

As they bud out in the spring, you'll want to pinch off the main terminal (as painful as that sounds), forcing the plant to put out multiple shoots. Do this every year for the first 5 years or so, and you'll have a really full, well-branched Rhododendron!

I also give the plants 2 tablespoons of hollytone in the spring, maybe up to 1/8 cup in 2 applications once they've been in the ground 2 seasons, since our high rainfall leaches the soil of nutrients pretty quickly. They respond really well with this!

The same method can be used for native azaleas, as well - I've got a lot of Rhododendron calendulaceum, R. arborescens and R. prinophyllum seedlings this year using the same tricks.

Our native soil is a loamy to gravelly clay that ranges from about 5.8-6.5 PH, hollytone keeps the soil within the range that Rhododendrons like, especially if the plants are mulched with pine bark.

Should mention, our climate is fairly well suited for native rhododendrons - A fair bit of rainfall, slightly cooler summer temps than the South and East Coast, but never below -20F in the winter. We do get spells of hot, humid weather, but regular cold fronts bring in cool, dry air throughout the summer. we get 40-45 inches of rain per year. The maximums I've got have pretty strong sun from 7:00 AM to about 12:00, with filtered shade after that - They've done extremely well, though!

Honestly, if you can get them to grow from seed, the seedlings establish and grow much more quickly than larger plants. I have not found them to be overly fussy. There's about a 3-foot gently sloping hill into a hayfield behind this particular hedgerow. All these plants are North Carolina stock and have survived a winter temp of -17F.