The rhododendron next to the house is in full bloom. Some of the plants in the yard are as fussy as a teething baby, but rhody somehow finds what it needs from the dappled morning sunlight and packed red clay. It's a free-range shrub and I think it survives because I DON'T tinker with it.
The plant was a gift from my mom. She didn't have a lot of money to spend on us grown kids so whenever she asked what I wanted for my birthday, I always told her "I'd like a shrub."
It was an ongoing joke. But one year she gave me a rhododendron in a gallon bucket. I didn't know much about them so out of dumb luck, I probably picked the most perfect location on our property.
It's thrived there and each year when the days get longer and the spring sun warms the east end of our house, the rhododendron pops out with buds the size of golf balls and when fully open, it produces lacy-pink blossoms the size of a basketball.
This morning when I walked out the back gate to check the mail, I glanced over and saw the first flower. Obviously I had to snap a picture.
The plant was a gift from my mom. She didn't have a lot of money to spend on us grown kids so whenever she asked what I wanted for my birthday, I always told her "I'd like a shrub."
It was an ongoing joke. But one year she gave me a rhododendron in a gallon bucket. I didn't know much about them so out of dumb luck, I probably picked the most perfect location on our property.
It's thrived there and each year when the days get longer and the spring sun warms the east end of our house, the rhododendron pops out with buds the size of golf balls and when fully open, it produces lacy-pink blossoms the size of a basketball.
This morning when I walked out the back gate to check the mail, I glanced over and saw the first flower. Obviously I had to snap a picture.
Beautiful...your mom would be happy to know that this shrub will remind you of her every spring as it blossoms! A living memory of a time gone by is a wonderful gift!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Rick! What a wonderful memory keeper it is!
ReplyDeleteSome of the best things have happened to me out of sheer dumb luck... like your rhody plant. That flower is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteSo cool that you've had it for that long. Some plants/flowers/shrubs are extremely tenacious aren't they? Could be used as a metaphor for ourselves sometimes. We could learn a lot from them. Have a great Friday Rick.
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