Just a few days ago, the most miraculous thing happened. The buds of my Rhododendron marcophyllum (Pacific rhododendron), which I bought 2 1/2 years ago, started to open. This rhododendron had first almost perished for lack of water, and then some snails almost demolished it, but being a miracle plant, it somehow survived. Then it had a bud all winter. And in early April the bud showed its color. So this is my photo that I'm submitting to the Great Gardening Gone Wild Photo Contest.
This native habitat of Rhododendron macrophyllum is the coastal forests further north, and it needs supplemental water where I live. If you time it just right, you can see Rhododendron macrophyllum in the wild in Kruse Rhododendron State Park, a truly amazing experience.
Of course, this post would not be complete without the open blossom, which is here.
And for those who want the bigger picture, here's the blossom after a day of record breaking temperatures, clearly no longer quite so fresh, but miraculous none the less.
And now I invite all of you to go over to Gardening Gone Wild, where links to other wonderful plant photos are appearing just as we speak.
Comments
They're worth waiting for, aren't they?
You are lucky to have such beautiful native Rhodies. The photo needs to be cropped a tighter for a contest and some expose adjustment would make it brighter. Would like to see it in a garden setting.