if your soil is acid ( you can get a test kit ) then its possible but they do quite badly on alkaline soils

ok, thank you, Pam, i will get a test kit.

Do any of your neighbours grow azaleas and rhododendrons Mini? Have a look at their gardens. What grows well already in your garden? Welcome to Goy:-)

Hi, thankyou borny, no there dont seem to be any in the neighbours gardens. Maybe I should keep them in the pots.

they may still need to be given an ericaceous feed, also if your neighbours grow hydrangeas look at the flower colour if they are a gorgeous sky blue the soil is acid-- a sort of lilac colour ( like some of mine) more or less neutral and a clear pink is alkaline

Hi Minihoney even if you have alkaline soil you can grow in the ground if you make a planting hole twice the size you actually need and fill with ericaceous compost. You would probably still need to feed with sequestrine and mulch with ericaceous compost each year. But you would also need to do this in a pot.

Don't know anything about azaleas only I think they need acid soil (better not just take my word for it though!)
Welcome to GOY from me Minihoney :-)

Hello thank you, Richard

You're welcome :-)

So Mini you thank someone who admits to not knowing about erics. and ignore us!

You really need more than acid soil. They do best in a fairly protected place (have a look at the picture I uploaded this morning which shows my rhodos along the northern fence in my garden) and they are happiest under the canopy of large mature trees. Think of those large estates such as Virginia Water or the Isabella Plantation, or maybe Exbury Gardens or those wonderful Cornish gardens. If you are in the north, many of those great gardens have superb plantings. In all of these places you find moist peaty soil which is not alkaline. In my own garden the soil is verging on alkaline with pure chalk 10 feet down, but I use a whole 60 litre bag of ericaceous compost to plant them in. Definitely don't leave them in a pot for more than a season unless your 'pot' is a large planter.

I've just noticed you give your location as Bedfordshire. Most of this county lies in the chalk band which stretches from the Dorset coast through Salisbury Plain, the Chilterns and up to the North west Norfolk coast. If you are several miles north and west of Luton you may be lucky and be on the Bedford clays. Have a look at the geological map for your location.

Hi Moony - apologies muchly - A big hello & Nice To Meet You - am just getting used to the site and how to check on messages whilst of course, running in and out of the garden trying to do plant and weeding things before the rain lets loose, and hello Jim also - many thanks for your advice. I think there is chalk very deep down but is normal (?), brown & crumbly soil on top. I do have some mature trees (buddleia) which they could go under but digging a hole might be a prob due to the extensive root system of the tree - i will investigate. The 'official Line of Investigation' chez moi entails,:-

1 - Stand & Stare At The Said Site Trying To Look Intelligent.
2 - Scratch Chin Periodically
3 - Sigh
4 - Bite A Nail
5 - Make A Cup Of Tea
6 - Return To Site Holding Cup In Right Hand, Left Hand On Hip - Stare Again
7 - Mull (a lot)
8 - Feel Deep Sense Of Flummox & Frustration
9 - Repeat steps 1-9
....Don't worry, I dont work in CID!

MiniH most of our rhododendrons are not under the canopy of a tree we have far too many to have that many trees (and we've got more three than we 'should' have). They do prefer partial shade but, when you think of where they grow in the wild they can basically cope with just about anything so long as the soil is not alkaline.

Rhododendron ferrugineum, the European rhodo. grows on the mountainside at around 1500 - 2000 metres in full sun without any protection, for several months of the year it is under snow. Whilst we need to look after our garden rhodos. a little better than this so long as you keep it watered (not that there is any need to do so right now!) and in the right type of soil it will be fine.

ok thankyou, Moony