Most of the great rhododendron gardens of the world have water features. Valley Gardens near Windsor has Virginia Water, Bodnant in North Wales has a rushing mountain stream in a spectacular rock gorge, and the gardens of Scotland and Ireland have water all over the place, mostly coming down in sheets. These water features are typical of the mountainous environment where rhododendrons grow in the wild.

Very few of us are blessed with a natural water feature in the garden but it is not that difficult to create a pond that works well in a rhododendron garden. Most references on garden ponds, however, focus on pond plants and fish. A pond choked with aquatic plants does not work so well for a rhododendron setting where it is effective to create cool, calm reflective surfaces to contrast with rhododendrons.

Site selection is critical to achieve a natural-looking landscape. A pond should be sited at a low spot, and if you construct a stream, it should be located in a small valley. It is surprising how often this fundamental rule is disregarded.

Ponds and streams for a rhododendron garden are most easily constructed to any desired shape using a flexible rubber liner laid over sand and fabric to reduce the risk of puncture. The key to successful pond construction is to plan the edge treatment beforehand.

A rock-lined pool is one of the most effective designs and this is achieved by constructing a level shelf around the edge of the pond. The liner is cut to extend several feet beyond the shelf. Large rocks are placed along the shelf to form the edge, and the liner is folded up behind the rocks. Soil is backfilled behind the liner up against the rocks keeping the liner vertical. When the pond is filled, the water level is about six in. above the base of the rocks resulting in a natural look.

As the pond will be at a low spot, drainage around the pond is likely to be required to avoid the soil around the pond getting soggy. Installing drainpipe and drain rock all around the pond solves the poor drainage issue.

It is worthwhile building a small stream into the pond as the circulation of water keeps the main pond clear of algae. Use a submersible drainage pump to power the stream rather than the more expensive pumps sold specifically for ponds. Streams are constructed by forming small ponds with intervening small waterfall steps. The liner is overlapped from one pond to the next over the steps and rocks are placed to cover the liner to achieve a natural look.

The meaning of the first part of the word is clear to all of us. It means many, much, or numerous, from the Greek polu. The second half of the word, ploid, is not so obvious. It means something like "of the self." Id, the operative part, was derived from the Greek idios for individual, private, or peculiar, the original meaning of idiot was a private person.

In the late nineteenth century a German geneticist used the same term as Freud used in psychology to denote what was then known as the germplasm, and what we now know as the number of sets of chromosomes. The number of sets of chromosomes is important because it controls the outcomes of sexual reproduction. Most of the organism we are familiar with have two complete sets of chromosomes. One set is inherited from each parent. Each set has all the genes for everything that makes up the organism and its life functions. That means each characteristic is controlled by two genes, each on a separate chromosome.

Multi-celled animals and higher plants are typically diploid. Diploid cells produce offspring cells with only one set of chromosomes. These cells are called "haploid" and are known to us as gametes or eggs and sperm. When a cell duplicates its chromosomes to produce two new cells, the division is not always complete, leaving a cell with more or fewer sets of chromosomes than normal. The result of two gametes combining to produce a cell with more than two sets of chromosomes is uniformly fatal in higher animals, but not in plants. For example, if a normal (haploid) gamete combines with one that didn't divide properly, and is still diploid, a triploid is produced.

Rhododendron diaprepes var. 'Garguantua' is a triploid. Its leaves and the plant in general are larger than specimens of the species itself with diploid cells. The general term for organism possessing more than the usual numbers of sets of chromosomes is polyploid.

Triploid plants will typically not reproduce successfully but, if the numbers of sets are even, sexual reproduction in higher plants can result in large numbers of sets of chromosomes. The resulting polyploids will have larger and larger body parts as the chromosome sets increase. Farmers, before we knew about polyploidy took advantage of the phenomenon to produce bigger and bigger tomatoes and other crops.

So, the next time you are buying or growing a beefsteak tomato thank the process that produces errors in cell division that give us polyploids.

Horticulturists generally agree that the ideal specimen for planting has sufficient roots to fill the soil ball (either pot-grown or a ground-grown, balled and burlapped plant), but not so much root that there is obvious crowing or congestion. The best plants are vigorous both above and below the ground.

For pot-grown plants, slip the pot off the root ball. If roots are crowded and matt-like, they have probably been in the pot a long time and have used up whatever nutrition was original in the soil. Such roots may be difficult to establish in new soil unless they are teased apart before planting.

Once loosened, this allows them to grow into the surrounding soil, away from the main root mass and toward better soil conditions. Many rhododendrons can tolerate the landscaper's trick of slicing the root-ball vertically before planting.

Plants that don't have many roots visible at the soil-pot interface are either newly potted (i.e., recently transplanted) or suffering from moisture, nutrition, disease or insect damage. In the first instances, as you are relieving the grower of the significant cost of growing the plant to a reasonable size its not uncommon to ask for a price reduction. Howver, if the cause is any of the later ones, it is wise to not purchase the plant.

Potted azaleas are often sold at florists' shops and grocery stores. Frequently, they are gifted to people as a blooming houseplant. This article discusses if these azaleas are viable long-term, and will they bloom again?

Like winter-time poinsettias, azaleas purchased from florists or grocery stores typically are grown as short-lived houseplants. They are forced to flower in greenhouses with a tightly controlled growing environment, and it's a shock to the plant's system when it experiences the much different temperature, humidity, and light conditions in your home. Once the blooms fade, these plants typically get thrown away.

Proper care can extend the life of your plant. When you first bring your florist's azalea home from the store, remove any decorative outer foil or other wrapping from around the pot as this can inhibit drainage.

Select a location with bright, indirect light, where the temperature is between 60 to 70°F. Avoid placing it in areas that have dramatic temperature fluctuations.

Potted azaleas bought from stores usually are grown in peat moss that provides good drainage and correct acidic growth conditions. However, peat can dry out quickly if you forget to water the pot. If the potting medium feels bone-dry and plant leaves have drooped, immerse the plant pot in a container of lukewarm water for 15 minutes and afterwards drain the excess water from the pot.

Watering is a common reason for potted azaleas to die. The soil medium should not be too soggy or too dry. Allow the top half inch of potting mix to dry between waterings. Ideally, one should use bottled water or rainwater to hydrate your plant, as municipal water often is too alkaline.

Florist azaleas are almost always Southern Indicas varieties, and generally they cannot tolerate low temperatures. If low temperature is not a concern in your area, then with proper care they can be maintained to bloom again.

After the blooms fade, repot your plant into a larger container with drainage holes using an acidic soil mixture with a pH of 4.5 to 6.0. Purchased potting soil specifically designated for rhododendrons and azaleas works well. Deadhead the spent flowers and prune out any broken, dead, or diseased branches.

In order for these plants to bloom again, they need a chilling period of about two months with temperatures between 40 to 50°F. Commercial growers achieve this by keeping the plants in a controlled environment. One can replicate this by placing your plant in the basement or other suitable location. Reduce watering during this period, but do not allow the soil to completely dry out. After two months of cooler temperatures, move your plant back to a location with 60 to 70°F temperatures.

During the spring/summer months, the plant can be grown outdoors in a protected area. Harden it off gradually over the course of a week to 10 days, by placing the plant outdoors for increasing amounts of time. Fertilize with a product for acid-loving plants during active growth.

Bring your florist's azalea back indoors before first frost as exposure to low temperatures, even for a short time, will kill the plant. Bring it indoors for increasing amounts of time over the course of a week.

Allium is a large and happy family - there are about 700 assorted aunts and cousins, all of whom are related by blood or marriage to the humble onion. Most are pretty hardy and there are varieties to suit almost every growing condition and the caprice of every gardener.

Allium flowers vary in size from cabbage (A. schubertii) to ping-pong ball (A. caeruleum). Height ranges from waist-high (A. giganetum) to little ankle-biting plants (A. forrestii). Colors range from bright yellow to many shades of mauve and purple to pure blue, and white.

Apart from A. schonoprasum (chives) most alliums are planted in the fall. They enjoy sun but hate wet feet in winter. Don't plant the large-flowered varieties too close together as they need room for those giant flower heads. Small-flowered ones can be closer together and left to form a clump.

Allium leaves look rather floppy and take time to die down in the fall, but planted among hostas, rhododendrons, other shrubs, or with ornamental grasses they are not too noticeable.

You can grow them from seed - your own, if you wish - for those big seed heads are loaded with little black seeds in the fall.

Kubota Garden is a stunning 20-acre garden composed of hills and valleys, featuring streams, waterfalls, ponds, rock outcropping, and an exceptionally rich and mature collection of plant material. This unique urban refuge displays over 60 years of vision, effort, and commitment by the Kubota family.  Master landscaper Fujitaro Kubota was a horticultural pioneer when he began merging Japanese design techniques with North American materials.

In 1927 Fujitaro bought five acres of logged-off swamp land in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle and began his garden. Fujitaro was a man with a dream, entirely self-taught as a gardener, he wanted to display the beauty of the Northwest in a Japanese manner and was soon designing and installing gardens throughout the Seattle area. The garden on the Seattle University campus and the Japanese Garden at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island are public examples of his work.

As Fujitaro's landscaping business prospered, his Rainier Beach Garden grew to 20 acres in size. It was the family home, the business office, a design and display area and a nursery to grow plants. In the 1930's, a natural stream was enclosed in a pool and surrounded with maple, pine, iris, and stone. In the forties during World War II, the garden was abandoned for four years while the Kubota family suffered internment at Camp Minidoka in Idaho. Fujitaro and his sons, Tak and Tom, restarted the landscape business after the war and began extensive plantings of nursery stock. Many of these nursery areas are still in use today.

In 1972 the Japanese Government awarded Fujitaro Kubota with a rare honor, the Fifth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, “for his achievements in his adopted country, for introducing and building respect for Japanese Gardening.”

Fujitaro died in 1973 at age 94. He had always hoped that the garden would one day be open to the public, both to enhance the quality of life in Seattle and to increase American understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture. In 1981 the American Japanese Garden, created by Fujitaro, was declared to be an Historical Landmark of the City of Seattle.