Azaleas

The advice for azalea bushes is to plant them in “sweeps”—longish rows upon rows, so that when they bloom, folks driving by nearly crash their cars for the distraction of the flowers’ colorful beauty.

There was a house on the corner not far from us, when we lived in North Carolina, and their whole front yard was done up with azaleas in rainbow colors. I’m sure I truly was a hazard on the road that spring, whenever I drove by. It was too gorgeous not to stare.

The azaleas here at Echowood are not planted in “sweeps.” Rather, there are single bushes on either side of the large front windows, plus a couple of very small ones along the white picket fence that divides our property from the neighbor to the east of us. Our plants—even the big ones—are scraggly and unkempt; therefore, I cannot show you a wide shot, lest the messiness of it ruin the loveliness of the flowers and hamper your appreciation for them. (As soon as they’re finished for the season, I plan to prune vigorously!)

At the moment, the bushes are loaded down with blooms and buds about to bloom. They are almost the same shade of hot pink as the camellias, but are a deeper hue; I think they look tropical.

The long blades in the photo are from some of the monkey grass that grows nearby.

We do have a floundering redbud tree in bloom right now; but, honestly, the thing is a wreck and should probably come down. The best of its blooms are over the fence in the neighbors’ yard, making it pretty much impossible for me to get a decent photo.

Next up, though, we look forward to the dogwood tree blossoming. The dogwood is in my view as I look out the box bay while doing dishes. I am very much looking forward to seeing those magnificent white blossoms again this spring.