Even though rhododendrons aren’t wicked, they often get sent to a hot, hot place--the typical Southern garden. There these beautiful mountain natives spend brief, tormented lives dreaming of cool, misty summers and soil that drains. Will anyone come to their rescue?

You bet. His name is Robert Rollings. He lives in Saluda, South Carolina, just a stone’s throw from Columbia. Saluda’s summer is hotter than Jessica Alba. Its soil contains more clay than Clay Aiken. Yet 65 rhododendrons have thrived in Robert’s garden for years. Here’s how he does it.

photo: ‘English Roseum’ blooms greet Robert and Jessie Rollings each spring.