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[SG] kalmia

        I admit it! I have been smitten by color photos in Wayside and
other glossy catalogues with the beautiful shrub, Kalmia 'Olympic Fire"
but I'm reluctant to try it without encouragement from others who've
grown it.  In zone 5b, we can get a lot of heat and humidity in the
summer as well as considerable below zero (Fahrenheit) winters in the
years that don't include el nino  :)
        I have a nice shade bed under a huge maple with lots of leaf
mold in the soil where I grow ferns, gingers, rhododendrons, a pieris,
hosta, kirengoshoma, helleborus, gallium, sanguinaria, trillium, and
other woodland plants. This is where I would plant the kalmia...
         But from what I've read, the kalmias need to be planted very
shallowly, need lots of moisture, but excellent drainage, and coolness.
Is this impossible given my situation?  Do I dare try? I don't lose many
plants, but it always is very sad for me when I do...

Susan Campanini
in east central Illinois
zone 5b, min temp -15F×
e-mail:  campanin@ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu
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