Teach me how to Fish. Azalea

[Carol 83]

My order came today, luckily no damage. They did send a replacement for one that they were out of but it's very similar, so all good. I'm very pleased with them, as usual.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

That’s so great.

I had to twist arms and legs a couple years back to get Yata no Kagami, so well done!

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[yashu]

Which two?

View attachment 477120

Kazan and Chojuho… also hoping to get the Kazan Dwarf for a possible mame or at least shohin attempt.

 

[Carol 83]

Kazan and Chojuho… also hoping to get the Kazan Dwarf for a possible mame or at least shohin attempt.

I have a Kazan from them, they have teeny tiny leaves.

 

[jal777]

For those of you looking for Kazan, I found a bunch of 3" pot ones at Garden Fever in Portland, OR last spring for $10.

They were grown by Edelweiss Perennials and are available on their site for $14.50 or $13 if you order more than 3.

https://www.edelweissperennials.com/rhododendron-kazan

The leaves are, indeed, very very tiny. I kept mine in a small pot on the windowsill in the kitchen... it flowered in January.

 

[yashu]

For those of you looking for Kazan, I found a bunch of 3" pot ones at Garden Fever in Portland, OR last spring for $10.

They were grown by Edelweiss Perennials and are available on their site for $14.50 or $13 if you order more than 3.

https://www.edelweissperennials.com/rhododendron-kazan

The leaves are, indeed, very very tiny. I kept mine in a small pot on the windowsill in the kitchen... it flowered in January.

So I put in an order with these folks, I’ll report back when I get the plants. The only azalea they carry is the Kazan but they have a very interesting assortment of alpine type perennials.

 

[jal777]

So I put in an order with these folks, I’ll report back when I get the plants. The only azalea they carry is the Kazan but they have a very interesting assortment of alpine type perennials.

They're on my list of nurseries to visit next time I'm out in Oregon... clearly plant people.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Which two?

View attachment 477120
The order is fluid and did change to the above, and yes the above is currently in stock. Crossed off a couple that Tom mentioned they no longer have/carry. He also said that if they're not in stock when the order is received they'll call for replacement or refund. My weather currently sucks, but with the snail mail ordering system and the ability for them to delay the order I decided to get my order in before April as recommend for my area.

Mailed my order in on 3/18/23 & just got off the phone with Jim. They do have everything I ordered in stock. He just wanted to LMK that the Yota-no-Kagami is smaller than the rest, and the shipping cost is insane. He's also going to hold my order until I call back and tell him to ship. Nice guy, we got to talking about the weather and shipping costs, and I forget tell him that John from Bothell WA said hi.

 

[yashu]

Mailed my order in on 3/18/23 & just got off the phone with Jim. They do have everything I ordered in stock. He just wanted to LMK that the Yota-no-Kagami is smaller than the rest, and the shipping cost is insane. He's also going to hold my order until I call back and tell him to ship. Nice guy, we got to talking about the weather and shipping costs, and I forget tell him that John from Bothell WA said hi.

Can I ask what the “insane” shipping cost was? I can only assume it will be more for me being on the opposite coast of the continent.

 

[yashu]

Shipping for 3 azaleas from Edelweiss ran me $22.45 which I consider pretty decent.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Can I ask what the “insane” shipping cost was? I can only assume it will be more for me being on the opposite coast of the continent.

He said shipping would be $90 dollars. He also mentioned that he checked all the carriers for prices. (UPS, FedEx, etc.)

They way I look at... the $10 plants are now $26 plants, expensive yes, but rare in my area that I probably wouldn't be able to buy in MI. And I should have them for years to come, unless of course I murder them. At least that's what I'm telling myself to justify the cost. YOLO.

 

[jal777]

Shipping for 3 azaleas from Edelweiss ran me $22.45 which I consider pretty decent.

That's not too bad... keep us posted when you receive them. I might do the same.

 

[yashu]

He said shipping would be $90 dollars. He also mentioned that he checked all the carriers for prices. (UPS, FedEx, etc.)

They way I look at... the $10 plants are now $26 plants, expensive yes, but rare in my area that I probably wouldn't be able to buy in MI. And I should have them for years to come, unless of course I murder them. At least that's what I'm telling myself to justify the cost. YOLO.

$26 a pop for a plant you want and like is not outrageous at all.

@Carol 83 is that in the same ballpark as what your shipping cost?

@jal777 I’ll post a photo when mine arrive

 

[Carol 83]

@Carol 83 is that in the same ballpark as what your shipping cost?

Yes. He warned me on the phone that shipping had gone up but I was a bit shocked that it was 3 times what it was last year. Still, I'm fine with it, it's not their fault. One of mine popped a flower today.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Yes. He warned me on the phone that shipping had gone up but I was a bit shocked that it was 3 times what it was last year. Still, I'm fine with it, it's not their fault. One of mine popped a flower today. View attachment 478190

Nice! What's the name of that one? I know what it is, but for everyone else who doesn't you should tell them.

 

[Carol 83]

Nice! What's the name of that one? I know what it is, but for everyone else who doesn't you should tell them.

Otome-No-Mai. According to their catalog "small purple hose in hose. very long blooming. In mild climates blooms throughout the year".

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Now I'm wondering when a good time to ship would be. All of them are hardy to 5F - 10F one to -20, so would it be safe to ship if the temps are above 30F?

 

[Carol 83]

Now I'm wondering when a good time to ship would be. All of them are hardy to 5F - 10F one to -20, so would it be safe to ship if the temps are above 30F?

View attachment 478200

Yes. Mine were shipped during an unexpected dip in the temps and they arrived fine with no damage.

 

[Glaucus]

There could be an issue. Plants are shipped from LA area, where it must be spring for a while now, to your zone 6 in Michigan. Those hardiness temps are not valid once the plants have fully woken up from spring.
In fact, likely they probably shouldn't be given a degree of frost if indeed they have woken up fully in the Cali weather. But surely inside a box with packing material they will stay above freezing. Especially with those weather predictions.
But your temps may still drop to below 32F in April, right?

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

There could be an issue. Plants are shipped from LA area, where it must be spring for a while now, to your zone 6 in Michigan. Those hardiness temps are not valid once the plants have fully woken up from spring.
In fact, likely they probably shouldn't be given a degree of frost if indeed they have woken up fully in the Cali weather. But surely inside a box with packing material they will stay above freezing. Especially with those weather predictions.
But your temps may still drop to below 32F in April, right?

Yes, that's definitely possible. Michigan weather is like a box of chocolates, half of them are frozen. So, it sounds like your suggesting waiting till MI warms up more?

I did consider the box would keep frost off them, and it's such a long distance (CA to MI) I'd like to think any vehicle they travel in would be heated above 40F, but it's mostly speculation on my part. Once the plants arrive they'll be in an attached garage if the weather dips below 35F.

"Those hardiness temps are not valid once the plants have fully woken up from spring" This I did not know.