First Post of the Year: A Winter-Flowering Rhododendron

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Celebrating mid-winter with the first Rhodie blooms of the year.

On February 3rd, a rather ragged-looking swallow buzzed the eaves of our house where they come, usually later, to build their nests.

This is terribly early for the swallows to arrive and I worry how they will do when winter settles in again.

Right now we're having very un-February like weather:  Sun, heat, dry.

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Spring Rhodie

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Trumpeting Spring!  Sweetly scented, too. That's all.

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Spring Rhododendron

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Deep pink Rhododendron blooms cover both a small shrub and a towering tree, adding a neon pink pop to the greening landscape in my garden.

Haven't been out and about with my camera lately; lots of traveling followed by working keeps me otherwise occupied.  Meantime the swallows are busy building their nests, everywhere, and Spring marches on, giving us a sunny day here a cloudy day there mixed with an occasional shower and thunder storm. As I type this I can see the fog bank moving slowly toward me, ensuring that the coast is awash in fog - as will be my garden momentarily. Time for me to get out and mow more lawn.

Happy gardening!

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Spring 2011 - Pink Rhododendron

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[Ed. note: This photo, taken in spring of 2011, was left in my drafts folder with the text you see below; I don't know why I didn't post it. So I'm doing it now - just as I left it.]

All the Rhododendrons in my garden have bloomed.  A few, such as this one, basked in the fleeting sun of last week.  Others bloomed over the weekend in the rain. Still others bloomed back in February and are pretty much spent.

2011 wasn't one of the more stellar springs for the Rhodies in my garden, there being too much rain, hail, and cold.

 

© Copyright 2006-2011, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Winter's End; Spring's Beginning

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Pieris Japonica and Rhododendron 'Winter' have been blooming in my garden since January, and although they brighten an otherwise cold and gray time of year, what I really look forward to is ...

this.

Welcome Spring. You've been a long time coming.

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It's Mother's Day - Celebrate the Mothers in Your Life

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To my sisters, daughters-in-law, good friends and all the mothers and future mothers who have touched my life,

especially my own -

Happy Mother's Day.

© Copyright 2006-2012, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Ruby Tuesday: The Winter Red Rhodie is Blooming . . .

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. . . slowly.

Oh so slowly.

Check out the rest of the Ruby Tuesday photos posted this week from bloggers the world over.

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Winter in My Garden - Winter Blooming Red Rhodie

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Finally - fully-bloomed trusses.

Click here and here for earlier accounts.

© Copyright 2006-2011, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

In My Greenhouse - A Soaking Tub

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One of the things I wanted for my birthday was to have the tub in the greenhouse plumbed with hot and cold running water. Yesterday, that's just what Mr CC did.  Yes it's a bit rustic but, hey, it's a greenhouse.  I had a good soak this morning - just the ticket for my cold. And what could possibly be better than a soak in a steaming hot tub accompanied by orchids and Meyer lemons?

 This little volunteer greenhouse poppy bloomed this morning, just for my birthday, I'm sure.

 

Outside, the Rhododendron that I received as a birthday present ten years ago

is beginning to bloom, right on schedule.

© Copyright 2006-2011, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

April in the Garden - When the Deep Pink Rhododendron Blooms ...

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... it's usually a sign that spring is well and truly established along the north coast.  But that doesn't seem to be the case this year.  The day I took this photo was the only sunny day to be had.  Mostly it's been rainy, windy and cold.  I'm only complaining a little bit as I'm just tired of being cold.  Mostly I'm logging the weather - in my own way.

I see by the many gardeners I follow that there really is some delightful spring weather happening in other parts of the world, and I'm thankful for that.

Happy Gardening!

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Spring in My Garden - Crimson Exbury Azalea

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I love walking around my garden in the evening, my camera's flash on, snapping photos that result in a dramatic dark or black background. This is one of my Exbury azaleas. Unlike Rhododendrons, they are deciduous and will often bloom before their leaves appear.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved

Native Rhododendron

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Rhododendron macrophyllum, Pacific rhododendron, California rhododendron, California Rose Bay. They are all names for this spectacular native rhodie that grows wild along the northern California coast. Encountered while on a recent walk in the woods.

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Spring in My Garden - Rhododendron 'Heaven Scent'

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The newest addition to my growing collection of Rhododendrons, aptly named.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved

A Shy But Sweet Rhodie

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Small and a bit shy, the delicate colors and scent of Rhododendron 'Mrs. A. T. de la Mare' are a marvel in their own right. She sits patiently in her 15-gallon pot until I find the right spot in the garden for her.

Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved

Rhododendron Furnival's Daughter

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I only know this Rhodie's name because way back here the tag was still attached to it. Tags seem to get lost around here with great regularity. See more Rhododendrons here and here.

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