Spring beauty

[jackb]

This is a dwarf variety of Rhododendron called Purple Gem, supposed to grow to 2' high by 3' wide, maximum. It looks really great in bloom.
jackb

 

[NwMtGardener]

Jack that thing is loaded with blooms!! Gorgeous!

 

[Smart Red]

That rhodie is lovely, JackB! Ours are no where near budding out yet and I fear the cold got to many of them this winter. What flower buds are there from last year haven't started greening between the 'scales' and don't look like they're likely to.

 

[baymule]

Beautiful. Isn't the same thing we call azaleas? Here we have lots of azeleas, they are done for the year, they coinside with the dogwood and redbud trees blooming.

That's a gorgeous color jack.

 

[Kassaundra]

I thought they looked like azaleas too. Ours are mostly gone by too.

 

[Smart Red]

Bay, all azaleas are rhodies, but not all rhodies are azaleas. (or the other way around.) They are in the same family, flower about the same time, and prefer the same acidic soil. I never quite figured out the differences -- with my varieties, the rhodies are evergreen with thicker, shiny, dark green leaves, while the azaleas are decidious, with smaller, lighter greed, fuzzy leaves -- but since I have only the hardiest of them, I don't know what other differences there may be.

 

[baymule]

The azaleas here have light green fuzzy leaves and they fall off for the winter. So rhodies (like that word, can't spell rhodenerons) are evergreen? I bet they are pretty!