Everything in the garden is in full swing again - and it's wonderful! Get the most fun out of the garden by choosing plants that will work for you. Plants which give a brilliant show with little input like rhododendrons and azaleas are the perfect choice right now, allowing you to get on with the serious business of enjoying being outside. Whether the garden is just for your pleasure, or if you share it with family, friends and neighbours, free flowering shrubs like these are something you've just got to have!
White is perfect for painting your garden and it's easy to find white flowering rhododendrons and azaleas. Everyone loves white blooms and they bring a distinctly stylish look, whether on bigger or smaller plants. Rhododendrons and azaleas are hardy shrubs from the same overall family which really deliver in return for minimal input. They can look great as part of a border and as specimen plants. If you've got acid soil (ask neighbours or get a simple soil testing kit from your garden centre if you're not sure) these plants will thrive in your garden. If not, the smaller species and varieties do very well in pots. Using containers is also a great way to bring plant life to hard surfaced areas. They're handy too if you move house frequently.
Rhododendrons tend to be bigger shrubs, with larger leaves. Azaleas usually produce small to medium-sized leaves. So there are plenty of options for whatever space is available in the garden. This is a truly huge group of plants with any number of gorgeous options to choose from. In the white flowering range look out for Rhododendron 'Sappho' which flowers freely and looks breathtaking at full height. The blooms have an exquisite purple-black flare in the throat of the funnel-shaped flower. Rhododendron 'Persil' is aptly named with its pure white flowers up to 6cm long with a striking orangey-yellow flash. Rhododendron 'Ptarmigan' is a real little wonder which just keeps on flowering.
As a bonus for today's busy gardener's except for a quick tidy up in winter to remove dead or damaged growth, rhododendron's and azaleas require virtually no maintenance.
So we know that rhododendrons and azaleas are a practical way of achieving great results - what about their style credentials? Acclaimed garden designers use them in all kinds of applications, with white flowering species providing the bonus of a sense of light and space in the garden. They've received loads of attention from breeders so what's available in our garden centres now really suits the needs of today's gardeners.
CLICK HERE TO BUY RHODODENDRONS ONLINE
CLICK HERE TO BUY AZALEAS ONLINE
FIND THAT PLANT
ON-LINE AT CROCUS
GARDENING HOME PAGE - NORTHAMPTONSHIRE INDEX - GO SHOPPING ON LINE
