Rhododendron, Catawba Rhododendron, Iron Clad Rhododendron 'Grandiflorum'

These are VERY long-lived shrubs that can take abuse and severe pruning and bounce right back. The ones surrounding my house are over 40 ...Read Moreyears old, transplanted from someone's grandma's place. I have sawed them back to 3 ft. twice now since we've been here. These get big. They are in scale to a large Victorian or Georgian style house. (Think 15 ft tall with an equal spread.) They can cover themselves with bloom and are a showstopper when they do. Otherwise they're just dark green. They do have low branches that will root and can be transplanted, and so never seem to have that empty space below that needs to be filled with other plants.
They bloom reliably, deer don't bother them unless they're desperate.