Maybe it first came home to me when I was in Ireland, where the blooms of magenta rhododendrons that choke the roads are a curse, an invading army. But rhodies are intimidating. They grow huge and thick, blocking out the windows of any house whose developer or owner foolishly landscaped with their ilk. They buzz with the mildly ominous sound of bees. They pop out of harmless greenery overnight, from green to a riot of deep purple, red-orange, or bee-humping lavendar stripes while your back is turned. They’re everywhere. They dominate the landscape, paint the land in their colors, grow huge and bushy and crowd out the other plants.
Plus, I found a magenta bloom on a white rhododendron this morning. I think they’re hybridizing to make an army.
Comments
On the other leaf...
I agree, a big rhody is a BIG plant. But sometimes they don’t grow…Sometimes they turn yellow, or develop black lesions, or have gnawed leaf edges, they have curled leaves, droopy leaves, undersized leaves, you name it…They never flowered, they never grew—the litany of woes flows ever onward. Generally, the best thing that can be said for rhodies is at least they aren’t azaleas.
Re: On the other leaf...
Yeah, you know, you bring up one of my other beefs with rhodies. The yellow drooping thing. If you’re GOING to be a big bushy monster, might as well look like you’re enjoying it!
Plus, if they droop your mom sends you out with a hose and strict instructions to count to over a minute on each. Ah, memories.
rhody love
I love me some rhodies. Come on, people! They’re really beautiful. Plus I have sort of a black thumb, and if something is going to thrive, bloom, and look beautiful, without so much as a thimbleful of attention from me, I say: rah!
Re: rhody love
Yeah! I happen to like rhodies also! So NYEEEAH!
Re: rhody love
I don’t mine them so much either (although I have experienced the massive window blockage before). And they are pretty, but unfortunately they don’t bloom for very long and proceed almost imediately to the icky yellow stage.
And since I can’t stop thinking about it now, how come nobody told me Garrison was getting married!?!?!?
I move to the east coast and everyone forgets that I exist! :( sniff! Nobody loves me… :(