I watch the rhododendrons all winter long. Their buds form in the fall and stay through the winter. Come Spring, the buds start to swell and finally after weeks of watching and waiting, the flowers pop open in a burst of color.
Usually the rhodies don't do too well in our area. They need protection from the harsh winters, the torrential rains in Fall, the overly harsh days of summer. About the only time the rhodies actually seem happy is in Spring when they are flowering.
We were lucky to get a border of rhodies mixed with arborvitaes right along a fence-line on the north drive. They are really protected from the seasons they seem to hate so much, and they add such a lovely color to an otherwise green background.
For the most part, we just leave them alone. They grow, they flower, they hang out along the drive. I suppose that one day we will have to prune them or shape them or some other horticultural type of thing that one would do to plants.
But right now, I think the rhodies are my favorites. They require no work on my part and they blossom every year.
You have to love that in a plant.
Now I guess I should start planning out how to get all the rest of the weeding, pruning, shaping and everything else done in the rest of the gardens.
Right after I'm done looking at the rhodies one more time.
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