With spring in full bloom, the Azaleas are out, and the Rhododendrons will soon follow.
Rhododendrons rank among my favorite flowers, showcasing stunning blooms in a variety of colors. Their delicate textures appear almost ethereal. With over a thousand different varieties, rhododendrons include azaleas as one of their subcategories. These beautiful plants are originally from the Himalayas and serve as Nepal’s official flower. Additionally, they hold the honor of being West Virginia’s state flower and can be found abundantly throughout the southern Appalachian region. I fondly recall a wonderful camping trip in the Blue Ridge where we were surrounded by majestic rhododendrons in full bloom.
Both azaleas and rhododendrons belong to the genus Rhododendron. All azaleas are rhododendrons; but rhododendron is a much large group with may varieties. The above feature image is an azalea. The image to left is a rhododendron.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a poem about rhododendrons: “Rhodora.”
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals fallen in the pool
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that, if eyes were made for seeing,
Then beauty is its own excuse for Being;
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask; I never knew;
But in my simple ignorance suppose
The self-same power that brought me there, brought you.
Here is a gallery of rhododendrons (and a couple azaleas). These were all photographed at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford CT. I hope you enjoy
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