Larry Hnetka Goes HMmmm

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The late bloomer of all the rhodos on my block. A sure sign summer is right around the corner.

Click on the photo to view a larger version.

This Saturday’s theme is COLOURFUL. And no, my spellchecker is working fine. We Canucks prefer to use the British spelling rather than the spelling of our neighbours to the south of us in the States.

This colourful rhododendron (from the Greek: rhodos, “rose”, and dendron, “tree”) in the picture above is about 75 years old. I took the photo today and as you can see the red blooms are just beginning to open.

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Closeup shot of the late-blooming red rhododendron.

[Click on the photo above for a larger
version of the closeup picture.]

We rescued it from an apartment building we lived in which was being torn down for new condos. Five of the rhodo bushes we rescued have travelled with me for about 30 years, the past 25 years in my current garden.

Rhododendrons are magnificent in bloom and many varieties keep their bright shiny green leaves all year long.

But after that huge burst of colour they are not a very friendly plant. They create an acidic soil which limits underplanting to a very few types of plants which can survive in that type of soil.

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Close-up shot of the trumpet-like rhodo blooms.

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This is a potted rhododendron bush with unusual trumpet-like flowers.

[Click on photos to see larger images.]

This rhodo is on my neighbour’s deck. It’s size is typical for a potted rhodo. What’s unusual about this variety is its trumpet-like flowers rather than the huge round blossoms rhodos typically produce.

What I like most about Vancouver is that “spring” begins here in late February. The tulips and daffodils are long gone.

What marks the end of spring for me though is when this red rhododendron blooms. It is the last of the rhodos to bloom. Over the years, the garden planting has developed so that from February often until late November, there are some type of flowers blooming.

My neighbours laugh at me when they see me in my flower gathering mood, garden shears in hand, snipping not only flowers but various types of grasses, shrubs and tree branches growing in our small yard.

This poor Japanese red maple must shiver when it sees me coming. I prune it carefully and use the branches in arrangements. The vibrant red colour makes a brilliant contrast to the other flowers in an arrangement.

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Vibrant Japanese red maple leaves.

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Japanese red maple is one of my favourite shrubs.

[Click on photos for an even closer, close-up view]

PS: I just couldn’t help myself. I had to use the Canadian spelling rather than the American spelling for the word “colour.” It just didn’t look right to me without that “u” sitting with the word.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 26th, 2007 at 11:54:41 PM and is filed under CREATIVE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.