Azaleas - First day of Spring 2013

March 20th was the first day of Spring.  That was a little earlier this week and the weather was spectacular.  We have a very short Spring in South Louisiana, so it is a good idea to get out and enjoy it because Spring transitions into Summer in what seems like a few brief days.  The weather is crisp and cool and all of the trees are sporting new, vivid green growth.  Every flowering plant we have is blooming.

One of those things are azaleas.  Azaleas are a member of the rhododendron family.  We have a number of them in the flower beds surrounding our home.  The two that I want to show to you today are two very old azaleas that we brought over with us when we moved from our home in Kinder.  These azaleas were my grandmother's, and she passed away in 1996.  We've found that good way to remember loved ones who have gone is to plant things that are theirs that you can remember them by.  In addition to these azaleas, I have some St. Augustine grass from my other grandmother's yard along with some of her Confederate Jasmine that I took cuttings off of.

Enjoy Grandma's azaleas:


Beautiful Blooms

When these are in full bloom they light up the yard.  They are used in landscaping especially in the Southeastern United States.  There's something about azaleas and magnolias and live oaks that just say "home" or "the South".  Azaleas are native to Asia and appropriately, in the Chinese culture they are known as the "Thinking of Home Bush."

Pretty in Pink

In the next two pictures, you can see that mixed in with the blooms, there are some flowers that haven't opened yet.  They will open and when they do, the bush will be one solid wall of pink.

Sometimes you'll see one bloom and others, you'll see a big cluster like the one below.  One thing I learned reading about them is that they are highly toxic, both the leaves and nectar and honey from the nectar.  In fact, they were so well known for their toxicity that to receive a bouquet in a black vase was a well-known death threat.

Pretty bouquet

The bush below has several more blooms to open before it is stunning, but you can see that in addition to the blooms coming out, so are the fire ants.  Just look at that big mound at the bottom right.


Azaleas and fire ants (beauty & the beast)

In the final photo of the day, you can see the second azalea almost filled solid with blooms.  Azaleas are evergreen, they like the shade and they like acid soils.


Azaleas in all their glory

Similar to our Spring weather, azaleas in bloom last for a couple of weeks.  They are gone before you know it, so it is best to get out and enjoy them while you can.