New Plants in the Back Yard

This year we added some new plants to the back yard. First was five Encore Azalea bushes. Our Azaleas in the front yard are so beautiful every spring, we decided to try some in the back yard. The Encore variety is supposed to bloom several times a year. We'd love to have Azalea flowers in the summer and the fall too. The other new addition is a Banana tree. My wife has been looking for one after reading an article last winter. Today we were looking at the planting area that should be sprouting a bunch of Elephant Ears. But the winter was so cold all but a few died for the first time in years. So off to Lowes to see what could fill the spot. This Banana Tree was identified as a "hardy" variety - we'll find out pretty soon how hardy.