Sunday, April 18, 2004

Bushes Full of Orchids

Ever since moving to Oregon 20 years ago, I've had a love affair going with Rhododendrons.  Living in the Midwest, I had no idea there were shrubs that flowered so extravagently.  I fell in love with these bushes that seem to sprout corsages of exotic orchids.  They come in a huge variety of colors and sizes.  You would think, just looking at them, that they belong in the tropics, or at least in California.  But  Oregon is lousy with them...they even grow wild in the coast forests.  They're cold-hardy, they transplant beautifully---you can dig them up and drag them all over the yard.  And they're evergreen...before I moved to Oregon, I had never heard of broad-leafed evergreen plants!  One of the many (million) jobs I've had was working at a nursery owned by one of the premier rhododendron hybridizers in the country (a very quirky little man, and his wife is certifiable...but I digress...)

Anyway, here is a picture of my earliest-flowering rhodie.  It lives in the row of bushes that I have growing along the fence in front of my house.  My only complaint about them is that I can't seem to assemble a collection that blooms all at the same time.  They will flower--one at a time (maddeningly)---from late March through June.  Oh well...it gives me an opportunity to enjoy each one separately, I guess!

10 comments:

  1. How absolutely beautiful.  I can see why you why love them so.

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  2. Great picture! :-) ---Robbie

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  3. They're eveywhere in PA too and they are beautiful.  We have two in front of our house - but ours do bloom all at once.

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  4. I love rhododendrons too! We had them when I was a wee girl in Rhode Island, and I've loved them ever since.

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  5. What a beautiful picture.  I lived in a house in Massachusetts that had these 2 rhododendron bushes that grew as tall as our house, peppered with purple flowers.  It was truly beautiful.  I still have pictures of my 2 oldest kids when they were little sitting in front of it.  I've never seen bushes as big since then.

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  6. I am STILL waiting for my one rhodie to blossom out it has tons of buds so it should be beautiful when it finally decides to grace me with it's bounty.

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  7. Beautiful!  My favorites are blue hydrangea (they're rhodies, aren't they?)  They used to grow in great masses on Long Island and I just loved them... :)

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  8. I love that color

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  9. They are gorgeous!  Lisa

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  10. That is really pretty!  The closest thing I have to that to enjoy are the azaleas, and I don't think they come close to what you have!!!  Kristi

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