Subject: Azaleas in Nebraska??!!

From: [email-masked] (Lrm583)
Date: 24 Mar 1995 21:09:26 -0500

I have just moved from Virginia, azalea heaven, to Omaha, Nebraska, Zone
4/5, and have seen nary an azalea yet.

I am going through serious withdrawal, and had great hopes that I would
find some spectacular, rare, evergreen azaleas when my Wayside Gardens
catalog arrived, which I did not.

Now I am despairing of having any azaleas along the foundation of my
house, which will be the first time in my whole life that I will be so
deprived.

Please, please, does anyone know of an azalea that will survive here?  I
am afraid to buy an azalea that is hardy to Zone 5 because I am right on
the edge between 4 and 5, but I can only find native deciduous azaleas for
my area.  Will I be taking a huge risk if I buy Zone 5 azaleas, or could
they actually withstand a cold Zone 4 winter?

Any help will be most appreciated!

Thanks, 

Lise

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From: [email-masked] (diane wilson)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 14:29:21 GMT

Lrm583 ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I have just moved from Virginia, azalea heaven, to Omaha, Nebraska, Zone
: 4/5, and have seen nary an azalea yet.

: I am going through serious withdrawal, and had great hopes that I would
: find some spectacular, rare, evergreen azaleas when my Wayside Gardens
: catalog arrived, which I did not.

: Now I am despairing of having any azaleas along the foundation of my
: house, which will be the first time in my whole life that I will be so
: deprived.

: Please, please, does anyone know of an azalea that will survive here?  I
: am afraid to buy an azalea that is hardy to Zone 5 because I am right on
: the edge between 4 and 5, but I can only find native deciduous azaleas for
: my area.  Will I be taking a huge risk if I buy Zone 5 azaleas, or could
: they actually withstand a cold Zone 4 winter?

: Any help will be most appreciated!

: Thanks, 

: Lise
Try PJM rhododendron or some of the azaleas from the Northern Lights 
series developed in Minnesota. Here at UNL Botanical Garden in Lincoln
we have a rhododendron test garden and find that those do best. If you
have a protected spot with part shade and good soil, they should do 
OK. Area nurseries have them. In my experience, though, PJM is the 
only broadleaf evergreen rhododendron that does well here.

--
 Diane Wilson
 UNL Botanical Garden & Arboretum
 [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Janine Dahms Walker)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 16:58:08 GMT

Lisa, I'm in Minnesota, zone 3/4 and have azaleas.  They never look like
the big bushy ones from the east, but are still beautiful.  There is a
species called Northern Lights Azaleas that were bred in MN and is the
hardiest of the azaleas. They are commonly found in nurseries all over MN
and other northern states.  I even saw some in Alaska last summer!.  They
come in lots of colors and sizes.  Here they lose all the leaves over the
winter but have big buds that stay on all winter.  Look around and you
should find them locally.  Janine

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Lrm583)

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From: [email-masked] (Steven Cangemi)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 19:54:37 GMT

Don't Despair.  Contact Corn Hill Nurseries.  They are the best source
of cold hardy cultivars I know.  They definitely have Azaleas which are
hardy to Zone 4.

CORN HILL NURSERIES
 
Address:  R.R. 5, Petitcodiac
          New Brunswick  E0A 2H0
          CANADA
Phone:    506-756-3635

Hope this helps,
Steven
Mid-Hudson Valley
USDA Zone 5
-- 
Steven Cangemi     [email-masked]