We have been looking at rhododendrons (rhododendri?) for a new garden bed we’re building. (The basis of the bed? The displaced dirt from Zach’s pond project.

There are zillions of different rhododendron varieties. The blooms - called trusses - come in various colors – white, yellow, pink, red, purple, and combinations thereof. (Rhodie shows used to be called truss shows - for obvious reasons, that has changed.) The bloom period varies in season from early (April) to late (July/August), and in size, from tiny bells to huge, hibiscus-like blooms. The plants come in different sizes, from 2′ compact to 12′ giant plants.

Our local nursery must have had 100 different kinds; the variety was almost overwhelming.

We decided that we really consider a nice looking plant more important than exotic blooms, since just the plant is we’ll see 10 out of 12 months of the year. We also want disease resistance and shade tolerance. Most rhodies are somewhat shade tolerant, but our new planter is in a full shade spot, on the north side of our house, between the porch and a stand of cedar trees on the other side of the fence.

I’ve always preferred lighter-colored or white flowers for shady spots, so after deciding which plant shape & foliage is prettiest, we’ve been looking at primary white, yellow or yellow-peach blooms.

We haven’t yet gotten the plants we need, but these are some of the ones we’re considering.