Rhododendrons and azaleas have always been my favorite shrubs. So they could not be missing in my garden. I decided to put them on a representative discount in front of the house. Now, every May, they bloom wonderfully. However, before I bought my first plants, I had to carefully prepare the substrate for them and choose a place.
Preparation of the substrateI started planting the bed two and a half years ago by removing the sod and improving the soil. In my garden, it is extremely heavy and clayey. I had to replace a large part of it with fertile soil with an admixture of acid peat. Such a substrate is necessary for the proper development of rhododendrons and azaleas.The edges of my rebates are made of sandstone. We placed it at the level of the lawn to facilitate mowing without the need for a trimmer.
Mulching rhododendrons
I poured a layer of bark under the already planted bushes. This litter has many valuable advantages:
- n helps to maintain the right soil moisture and pH,
- protects plants from temperature fluctuations in summer and winter,
- reduces the growth of weeds,
- fertilizes the substrate,
- is decorative.
Selection of species and varietiesI wanted the rebate to look interesting, which is why there were various species on it. I put on rhododendrons:
- 'Percy Wiseman',
- 'Princess Anne',
- 'Azurika',
Japanese azaleas:
- 'Orlice',
- 'Ledicanense',
- 'Kermesina Rose',
- 'Elsie Lee',
large-flowered azaleas:
- 'Berryrose',
- 'Gibr altar'.
and additionally for the 'Soulangeana' magnolia.
All these wonderful shrubs look great against the conifers, so they are accompanied by mountain pine and 'Daisy's White' spruce.
Plants accompanying Rhododendrons
My gardening enthusiasm continued to grow. So I decided to create one more discount in another part of the garden. It includes species other than rhododendrons, including:
- hydrangea,
- willow 'Hakuro',
- host,
- giant garlic,
- lavender,
- miscanthus,
- bush 'Variegata',
- ornamental grasses.
These are freshly planted plants, so they don't look as they should yet. However, I hope that the discount will be much more impressive next year. Perhaps in time there will be a place for my favorite rhododendrons, as they prefer the vicinity of perennials and ornamental grasses.
Rhododendrons, although they are still young, already look beautiful at any time of the year, delighting with the colors of flowers in spring and beautifully contrasting with the green leaves in winter. And azaleas in May are drowned in fragrant flowers.I sincerely encourage every gardener to plant these exceptionally charming shrubs on his plot. They are not too demanding and will certainly give a lot of satisfaction to those who decide to do them.
Aleksandra Hermasz
