Middle Garden Rhododendrons
In spring Middle Garden is at its most colourful, and the rhododendrons are just too big to ignore. A majestic pink beauty is my spring signal that pink things will be appearing all over the garden.
PInk Rhododendron
Near the lawn a large creamy shrub flowers in late spring. The ground here is uncompromising, in fact it's quite dry and sandy - yet this rhododendron seems to survive. Actually, there used to be two.
Creamy Yellow Rhododendron
In a worried moment I shifted one out and planted it in a shadier, moister spot. Well, guess what? It didn't make it. Whereas the one left behind survives, year after year. And the moral of the story is?
Another compact rhododendron enjoys being out in the open, on the edge of Duck Lawn. I suspect it might be Percy Wiseman, but I'm not sure. This was one of a pair, too.
Rhododendron by Duck Lawn
The other one suffered the oddest fate. I'd dug it out to shift it, and wandered off for just a few minutes. When I returned it had fallen into the water race and been washed downstream off the property. Never to be seen again. Oops.
Beautiful purple...
Last, but possibly the most spectacular to flower, is the medium sized purple, possibly the variety Bumble Bee. This shrub is sheltered in Middle Garden underneath the weeping Crabapple tree, and can be easily seen from the back lawn.
Purple Rhododendron in Middle Garden
Two of the original rhododendrons I planted grew well for more than ten years, then slowly died. Non-Gardening Partner suspects a fungal issue in the soil - eek! I hope he's wrong, because there's very little I can do about this.
RIP Middle Garden Rhododendrons