Dave talks with Wayne Mezitt about how to extend the season of flowering shrubs with certain varieties of rhododendron.

Video Transcription

[Music Playing] David Epstein: It is barely easy to get things to flower at May and June. The more difficult thing is to get flowers nice and early and extend them into the season. So, we really want to extend the season of flowering trees, shrubs and perennials. And, one of the best ways to do that is to start early on with the flowering redundant. And these are early flowering redundant. We are going to talk of Wayne Mezitt of some of the more popular varieties. People going into landscape center, what should they be looking for because I want to have flowers in April? Wayne Mezitt: The earliest one that you commonly see is the pegrum more redundant. David Epstein: Okay. Wayne Mezitt: Which is the evergreen, it is got that lavender pink blooms that is really very prolific and you see it in any yard. David Epstein: Not blooming right now though. Wayne Mezitt: But it is not blooming yet. David Epstein: Just the burgundy foliage now. Wayne Mezitt: Right. David Epstein: Okay. Wayne Mezitt: It will be another week before that blooms. But these plants like these are in bloom even earlier than PJM. In fact the purple form of these is one of the parents of PJM. David Epstein Okay, this is white. So, if I want white in the yard, this is the one for early white color? Wayne Mezitt: This is a plant from China probably the earliest blooming one. These one that it is called April snow; that will be in bloom in the last couple of days of April. David Epstein: Okay. Wayne Mezitt: So, it is almost in May. But it is still earlier than most for other redundants. Usually by mothers day that landscape starts really break into flower and the early water down bloom before that. David Epstein: So, these are pre mothers day bloomers? Wayne Mezitt: That is right. David Epstein: If I want a really good pink more redundants. Something that blooms early in April. What is the great one? Wayne Mezitt: I like the western pink diamond, because it is very reliable and it is a good clear pink. It even has double flowers. David Epstein: Okay. So we have talked about early blooming low redundarance and they usually has small leaves. And we have gone trough few, let me just review. We have gone through western pink diamond, one of the earliest. Then you have got miles stones, blooms a little later than that. Then you have got April snow, which actually blooms the last couple of days of April into early May. And finally if you want to try something, if you are a little bit in a milder climate on six or higher. How about Towhead that has a bit of a yellow color. All early blooming rowdies and all looking superior in your yard. [Music Playing]