Evergreen perennials

I live in an area that is alkaline soil - for miles, and miles, and miles around.

So why ON EARTH does the local garden centre put out Rhododenrons, Azaleas, et al with NO WARNING LABELS AT ALL?

Let me know if you get the impression that IT MAKES ME MAD !!!!

 

Thats exactly what i thought when i read your post kristen... YOU BE MAD,I AM!,i was peeved,i turned to said to daz why are they selling these plants here when its the wrong soil! just money making or lack of exp management! like you say they should be soil type labelled..not that i would of made a diff to me as i didnt know til verdun mentioned it

 

Well ... almost certain Pieris is the only one on your list you need to worry about

 

Surprisingly not all Rhododendrons hate neutral/lime soil, I have a Rhododendron japonica (evergreen), which looks really unhappy in the neutral soil, but Rhododendron simsii (from India), looks very happy. Geographical differences there. I think the Vireya Rhododendrons can tolerate lime as well.. but no one will be growing them in their garden

 

Kristen, I have often seen keen but new gardeners with trolleys full of acid loving and alkaline loving plants yet nobody at the checkout tells them this. Like everything education is so important. When I first got the gardening bug I planted azaleas, Rhodos and acid loving heathers and lost them all because my soil was not suitable. Jools, you can take pieris back or put in pots. They really do make lovely pot plants. You still bought some nice plants though

 

I have read (RHS Mag I expect) of some breeding that has been done recently to produce a range of Rhodies that would suit my alkaline soil, which is quite exciting (although I haven't investigated further). However, I don't suppose Mr and Mrs Joe Average have cottoned on to that yet so still safe for a few years to use the test of presence/absence in gardens nearby as a ready reckoner of soil pH

I ought to have another look at Alkaline tolerant Rhodies ... would give my mucky-mates something to stroke their chins about if they saw I had a garden full of them!!

 

Is this a rhodie?Because its 30ft tall at the bottom of the garden..

 

Looks like Laurel. I would expect the leaves on a Rhodie to be darker, and less densely arranged on the branches. Difficult to explain, it just kinda "looks different"

 

Yes Jools that plant is Prunus laurocerasus.. They have leaves running adjacent to the stem, whereas Rhodos have whorls of leaves at the end of each stem... Your plant is native to the eastern side of the Mediterranean basin where alkaline soils can occur

 

I know this one!!!

I bought a small Fatsia Japonica last May. Checked it yesterday (it's hidden away in my secret garden, planted in a tub, so have to make a particular visit to see it) and it is doing absolutely fine. We've had some very hard frost in the past couple of weeks plus the snow everyone else has had. It is hardy

 

I bought one from wilkinsons at christmas,its in the GH and still alive,all the established ones in gardens around here are still looking great after the snow