esh ga is probably right. Check the leaves. Osthmanthuses have opposite leaves on the stem while hollies have alternate leaves. In zone 6 it's probably O. heterophyllus (holly osthmanthus). There are more tender species, like O. fragrans, that will knock your sox off with their fragrance!

Living in Pennsylvania, I am not a gardenia person. Back to rhododendrons and azaleas. If you are in South Carolina, I assume you have both sun and heat. One problem in growing rhododendrons in hot climates is root rot. Many rhododendrons are quite susceptible to root rot, especially when soil temperatures get higher. In areas with cool nights, one can keep soil temperatures down with shade and mulch. In areas where cool nights are not common, this won't work. We must remember also that too much shade causes a poor flower bud set on many varieties. The quest for heat tolerant rhododendrons has focused on the very heat tolerant Rhodendron hyperythrum. This species has been used in hybridizing a number of heat tolerant offspring, including R. 'Hypermax' (R. hyperythrum x R. maximum), R. 'Charles Loomis' ('English Roseum' x R. hyperythrum), R. 'Peppermint Twist' (R. hyperythrum x R. Hexe) and R. 'Michelle Smith' (R. 'Scintillation' x R. hyperythrum) Other rhododendron varieties known for their heat tolerance include: 'Aunt Martha', 'Blue Jay', 'Blue Peter', 'Boule de Neige', 'Brilliant', 'Chapmanii Wonder', 'Cynthia', 'English Roseum', 'Evening Glow', 'Goldsworth Orange', 'Lady Clementine Mitford', 'Mrs. Charles E. Pearson', 'Myrtifolium', 'Odoratum', 'PJM', 'Platinum Pearl', and 'Red Eye'. To avoid lace bug problems you need to select rhododendron varieties that do well in full sun. Among this list are eight are also sun and cold tolerant: 'Aunt Martha' (-10F), 'Blue Jay' (-10F), 'Blue Peter' (-10F), 'Boule de Neige' (-25F) , 'Cynthia' (-15F), 'English Roseum' (-25F), 'Myrtifolium' (-15F), and 'PJM' (-25F). Here are some azaleas to consider for full sun including some encore varieties: ‘Autumn Amethyst™’, -10F, Low/Med. This lavender is one of the Encore® reblooming azaleas. ‘Autumn Cheer™’, -10F, Low. This pink is one of the Encore® reblooming azaleas. ‘Autumn Rouge™’, -5F, Low/Med. This bright pink is one of the Encore® reblooming azaleas. ‘Autumn Royalty™’, -10F, Med. This purple is one of the Encore® reblooming azaleas. ‘Autumn Sangria™’, -10F, Med. This dark pink is one of the Encore® reblooming azaleas. ‘Autumn Twist™’, -10F, Med. This white with purple markings is one of the Encore® reblooming azaleas. ‘Deciduous Azaleas’, Most deciduous azaleas are hardy to -25°F, grow well in the sun and really can be grown practically anywhere. They frequently are poor bloomers in the shade. ‘Flame Creeper’, Late, -10F, Dwarf. Noted for its tolerance of full sun, this reliable azalea displays a profusion of scarlet-orange flowers. It makes a good ground cover with its small leaves and creeping habit. ‘Hino Crimson’, Early, -10F, Low/Med. Bright crimson flowers unfold in April, and holding their color well. This attribute, coupled with sun tolerance and red winter foliage, makes ‘Hino Crimson' an excellent all around choice. Planted in the open, it grows to a dense 2½' mound, although it adapts well for use as hedging. ‘Hinode-giri’, Early, -5F, Medium. One of the more sun-tolerant hybrids, this azalea produces multitudes of rose-crimson flowers early to mid-season. Small, glossy leaves turn bright red in winter on this dense plant. ‘Stewartstonian’, Early, -20F, Medium. A sun tolerant hybrid, ‘Stewartstonian' displays lush red 2' blooms that, in the light, appear blood orange. Winter foliage deepens to wine red, making it an excellent winter foliage plant. Here is a link that might be useful: Rhododendrons and azaleas for sun.

Anna, Early fall is a great time for transplanting azaleas. And if you're looking for something relatively carefree that will actually bloom in heavy shade, the only reliable thing I have found that works in my heavy shade are the Annabelle hydrangeas (h.arborescens). They are deciduous and have to be cut back in the spring to about 12 inches so that may make them unattractive to you for what you are wanting. Me, I love them for many different scenarios and think they are the world's most dependable plant, as far as I am concerned. I have them everywhere in my gardens now. Marcy

"In a word, yes. A good landscape architect would never recommend this." I have to disagree with this :-) Color - as in flower color - is approached differently in the garden based on client wishes. Landscape design recognizes multiple types of color schemes and all have validity: monochromatic, analogous, complimentary, primary, pastel and riotous. 'Riotous' is closest to the color scheme being considered here and is seen in many designed landscapes, like the mixed perennial borders at Great Dixter. Even Japanese style gardens, highly designed and planned landscapes, will use shrubs and trees with multiple flower colors together (think flowering azaleas), as flowering is not the basis of the design. The form and layout is. As one landscape design text states: "There is no right or wrong when it comes to color in the garden. Color choices are a matter of personal taste." To be honest, designers seldom take flower color into consideration when planning a design - unless they are designing a perennial border. The reason for that is flowers tend to be very transitory and so color derived from flowers tends to be very fleeting. As mentioned above, the primary concern is given to plant shape and form and foliage color and texture. Flowers are considered an added bonus but not the major design issue. Most shrubs have a rather short bloom cycle and it is unusual for all the flowering shrubs in a landscape to be in bloom at the same time....another reason why flower color is very tertiary to the design process. If the client or homeowner does favor a shrub with an extended bloom season - like the Knockout roses - then selecting another flowering shrub that compliments/accents/contrasts with their coloring is always a good idea. But what that color should be is a personal choice, nothing necessarily governed by design rules. There are definitely design considerations to be made when considering a planting area, especially one that is adjacent to an entry. Scale, balance, a more or less uniform year round appearance and the shape, form, texture and foliage color as mentioned above. It is usually considered best to limit the number of plant choices involved and plant at least smaller specimens in multiples. Too many single plant choices (without repeating) just makes the design look busy and lack cohesion. And if you have a limited pallet with suitable repetition, then it is very unlikely that you will have too many potentially distracting flower colors at any given time.