... until I saw Rhododendron 'Gibraltar' in bloom at a local nursery. I'm pretty sure 'Gibraltar' more than qualifies as an "impulse" buy... that I'm glad I made. Three years later it is not only alive... it is thriving.
Rhododendron 'Gibraltar' is one of a group of deciduous azaleas known as Exbury Hybrids. They were developed by Lionel de Rothschild [1808-1879] at the Exbury Estate in England. This group was derived from the Knap Hill hybrids. The Knap Hill Hybrids were developed by Anthony Waterer [1822-1896] at the Knap Hill Nursery in England. Knap Hill is the oldest nursery in England… it opened between 1770 and 1800 as a Rhododendron and Azalea nursery.
The MBG PlantFinder site describes 'Gibraltar' as, "... an Exbury hybrid introduced in 1947. It has large ball-shaped trusses of 2 3/8 to 3 in. wide flowers with broad, frilly lobed, vivid orange petals. It is an upright shrub that grows 4 to 6 ft. tall and 3 to 5 ft. wide. 'Gibraltar' received Rhododendron of the Year honors in 2007 from the American Rhododendron Society."
Another pleasant surprise has been the 'Silver Gumdrop' Heuchera. Its foliage color is hard for me to describe, so I'll let a grower do it… "Semi-glossy, iridescent silver leaves… take on a rosy blush overtone later in the season." Tiny, vibrant pink blooms on wavy, wiry stems are abundant in spring.
Both Hostas have been very successful in Oklahoma City. Both the thick leaves and a generous mulch of pine needles has pretty much eliminated any damage from slugs…
The 'Vivid' Obedient Plant deserves more respect than I usually give it. In its current location for five years, it has been remarkably restrained given its reputation. And in September, but not until September, it reliably produces, "... dense spikes of rich pink, tubular, two-lipped, snapdragon-like flowers." It has been a pleasing addition to the fall garden and has required little maintenance other than the removal of old stems in early spring.