I just had to share a few of the photos I snapped the other day when I noticed that our Rhododendrons were starting to bloom…
~
~
~
I planted this Rhododendron for my Mom on the corner of the house 15 -20 years ago, and it has grown to a massive size, it’s absolutely glorious while in full bloom! I love the delicateness of the flowers and their lavender-pink color, I wish they lasted longer.
The Bumblebees are enjoying them too ~ I happened to catch this fuzzy little fellow buzzing around gathering nectar while I was out there…
~
It’s so wonderful to see the lovely, blooming things again, and I’m really looking forward to getting out there and planting my veggies. I went to the garden center on Mother’s Day and came home afterward and planted a few herbs, it felt so great to be planting again! It may be another week or so before I’m able to plant my vegetables though, because we’re still having some pretty cool temps here with the threat of frost at night, but soon… 🙂
✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿
Thank you for sharing these … I can never get mine to grow!
LikeLike
Always happy to share, I’m glad you liked them!
I have no clue why these grow so well, we do absolutely nothing to care for or maintain them, ever. I’ve planted them in gardens at other homes I’ve lived in and never had them grow so beautifully. They must just like my Mom’s dirt here. 🙂
LikeLike
They sure are a pretty color 🙂
LikeLike
I agree, and such a treat to see! 🙂
LikeLike
They’re stunning 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks so much, Richard! 🙂
LikeLike
You’re welcome
LikeLike
So beautiful! You did a great job of capturing the rhodie blossoms. I can’t get a good picture of them for some reason. What herbs did you plant? I’m planning to get to a garden center some time this week so I can get my herb garden going.
LikeLike
Thanks Trisha! Yeah, I find they’re actually a bit tricky to photograph, they often turn out blurry or with the color all washed out. I think these shots turned out because I had nice lighting with some filtered sunlight in the morning.
I planted the usual herbs… basel, oregano, and rosemary, along with some lemon verbena, a couple varieties of sage, and of course my favorite… lavender mmm! ❤ I wintered over a few of my mints, but they're looking pretty scraggly so I may need to replace them, and my favorite, my chocolate mint didn't survive, so I'm definitely going out and getting another one of those. I still need to get chives, thyme, and parsley, plus I may get some dill if I can find a place for it. I love my herbs almost as much as my veggies, but my garden area is small, so space is limited, I plant a lot of things in pots. 🙂 What are planning on putting in your herb garden?
LikeLike
Great choices! Sorry to hear about your mints though. Some of the herbs I planted last year aren’t looking so great either. My rosemary is very scrawny and my lavender looks more dead than alive. I was surprised that my chocolate mint is still alive but I need to move it because it’s getting choked out by the lemon balm.
Now that you’ve mentioned lemon verbena, I’m thinking I need to find some! It makes such a nice tea. I’d like to plant some medicinal herbs like St. John’s Wort, elecampane and arnica but I don’t know of a garden center that has stuff like that. I should have bought seeds and planted them last month.
I subscribe to comments on your blog but I still don’t get them, for some reason. So sorry for not answering back on other posts!
LikeLike
Most herbs won’t grow as perennials here so I have to replant every year, it’s kinda a bummer, that’s why I tried to winter over some of them indoors, but I don’t really have an area to do that.
I’d love to grow some medicinal herbs as well, including cannabis, but it’s still illegal here. At my last house, we lived on 6 acres and there were tons of various plants for use in herbal remedies that grew wild on our property, it was wonderful!
I hadn’t noticed you not replying to any other posts, so no worries.
It’s a gorgeous sunny morning here and I’m heading out to putz around in my garden. I might plant my peas! 😀
Hope you have a wonderful day Trisha!
LikeLike
Beautiful.
LikeLike
Thanks, Sonya!
LikeLike
Wow, that seems early! (Only because it seems like we were all covered in snow just a few weeks ago!) Were they in a very protected area? Our hydrangeas took a beating, for example. Not going to get much out of them this year, unfortunately.
LikeLike
It may seem early, but this is pretty much the usual time that they bloom each year. No, they’re not in a protected area at all, but they are right up against the house so maybe that helps? I haven’t had much luck with hydrangeas, two years in a row now, they’ve not survived the winter, I don’t know what their deal is. I may try planting some again this spring (maybe third time is the charm), but I haven’t decided yet. I saw a gorgeous metal sculpture of a hydrangea head the other day at the garden center and joked to my mom that maybe we should “plant” that in its place, as it’s more likely to last than the live ones we’ve tried. 😉
LikeLike
LOL!!! I think we’ll try cutting off the deadwood this year and hoping for better luck next year. Good luck to you, too!
LikeLike
aah What a treat for my eyes! beautiful 🙂
LikeLike
So glad you liked it Neha! 😀
LikeLike
Ooh! I’ve never had one, and here I sit, wondering where I might be able to place one…
I love the large bumble bees. When I lived in the South, they always came by to nibble at my Mexican petunias. Nice, harmless bees — very entertaining!
LikeLike
I’ve read that they like acidic soil, but I don’t have a clue whether or not ours is here. Hope you find a spot to plant one, they’re really lovely! 🙂
I agree, the harmless fuzzy bumblebees are fun to watch, all others… “need not apply.” 😉
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Ours are blooming too! Your photography is amazing! Love your blog!
LikeLike
Aren’t they just gorgeous!? Thanks so much Kloe, I really appreciate that, and I’m so happy you stopped by! 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: “Strange Plant, Is that how you do?” | joeyfullystated
Julie, gardening is definitely one of the best therapies. Your rhododendron pictures are beautifully done. Ours are just starting to bloom too.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
LikeLike
It really is Wendy, and it is in being out amongst the growing things, and tending to my garden that I feel closest to God ~ the Master Gardener. 😀
Thanks so much, I really enjoyed trying to photograph them, Rhododendrons have such a vibrant and delicate beauty.
Blessings to you too!
LikeLike
This is gorgeous Julie. So good you could leave it somewhere that it could grow to potential – I think they really benefit from being allowed to go BIG!! 🙂
LikeLike
It really is quite happy where it’s planted, and puts on a great show while in bloom! 🙂
LikeLike