Rhodies

When I lived in the east we would often enjoy the Rhododendrons which populated many of the wooded areas around which we would hike. They were large and somewhat lumbering specimens which seemed to thrive in the coolness of those sites.

The northwest introduced us to the term ‘Rhodie’, one to which I have finally become accustomed, and in our garden we have several of the evergreen varieties, one of which is Rhododendron 'PJM'. About 4' high, easy to grow and compact in structure, it requires little maintenance.

The mahogany colored fall leaves of this lovely hybrid have now been replaced by this year’s dark green foliage. Now in full bloom, the brilliant lavender-pink flowers flourish .