Tuesday, 8:30 AM. 46 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky is overcast but the barometer is up, predicting partly cloudy skies. There is 1.8” of rain in the gauge but it is over for now.
Yesterday’s stormy weather was so welcome that we spent much time simply sitting and listening to the staccato drumming of the rain on the skylights. The garden will now burst with blooms of peonies, poppies, tall bearded Iris and Oriental and Asiatic Lilies.
I find Azaleas are hard to use in the general landscape because so many have garish colors, like this ‘Orange Lights’ azalea. I like to use them in their own groups, as collections, so one doesn’t have to make excuses for clashing colors. Rhododendrons and Azaleas are in the same genus (Rhododendron) the big anatomical difference being Azaleas are deciduous and Rhododendrons have evergreen leaves. Rhododendron colors are usually more muted and easier to use. The University of Minnesota has hybridized many popular Azaleas in its Northern Lights series (‘Orange Lights,’ Pink Lights,’ etc.) and properly used they are a welcome addition to the Northern garden.
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