I'll start by saying I don't know much, but I know I love the outdoors. I recently purchased a house from one of the first Japanese settlers here in upstate new York, and I am just hoping there are some interesting plantings to be found. The house sold in Fall so we havent had a chance to see what has been lurking dormant, but in the last few days, our landscape has come to life.


One of the first things I was wondering is how to tell if I have a plant or a tree? I tried googling it, and it wasn't i. The first few results so I gave up and joined the forum. I'm sure I'll need more help as time passes and new sprouts start showing. Any help is appreciated!


This one looks a a little bonsai of a tree. It just started blooming this past week. The lower stalk appears line it has been either beaten down by NY winters or pruned back. I'm wondering what I have here?

Welcome to ATP. You're sure to get lots of help here.

Azalea is my guess.

My first thought was azalea, but the ones I've had before were always more like a shrub than this. I think I'm just getting excited with the new house and it is affecting my judgement!

Thanks for the input!

Some small-leaved rhododendrons look like evergreen azaleas. To tell them apart, first look at a flower—most azaleas have only 5 or 6 stamens, while most rhododendrons have 10 stamens.

From this, and the other clues, I would say it's a Rhododendron but check the other ID clues to be sure. I count 10 stamens on your flowers.

http://azaleas.org/index.pl/az...

They all come under Rhododendron now, apart from one Azalea species it seems.

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

I also think it looks like Azalea. Not the healthiest one though

Ah, Janet chimed in! Great!! Listen to her.

Thanks guys, the property was abandon for a few years so I'll see if I can nurse it back to health. I think the sparse leaves and flowers threw me off as well.

I DID tell my wife azalea, then retracted my statement!

I wonder if it is a P.J.M series Rhododendron, since you are in upstate New York - there aren't that many evergreen rhododendrons that are hardy to Zone 4 (? If you're that much upstate) as far as I know. There is one not far from here that looks rather similar to yours - it would prefer a more acidic soil and less exposure to the wind. Also they don't necessarily like the heat being radiated from a south-facing wall - not sure what aspect yours is. See:

http://www.missouribotanicalga...