... Journal Entry
Last of the Rhododendrons for this year in LilyHill. Most of them are now blown and gone but there are a few late bloomers still hanging on though they too are showing signs of their imminent departure.
Rhododendrons are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, with smaller numbers occurring elsewhere in Asia, plus North America, Europe and Australia. Where this lot above are from I'm not sure but they sure made for a colourful display.
The problem with them is that they are invasive and spread into the natural woodland, in particular The Woodland Trust have said that,"Rhododendron ponticum is a real problem for the UK’s native plants and trees. It is choking native woodland and shading out characteristic plants".
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was already illegal to plant rhododendrons in the wild and funding was being provided to control them. They are, however, undoubtedly beautiful when in flower and have been planted in gardens as ornamentals for eons. The problem is they are great escapologists.
The plants put out large clusters of bell-shaped flowers and typically have contrasting large evergreen leaves. They come in many varieties in many colours (in shades of white, cream, red, pink, yellow, orange and purple) both early and later flowering types. They are very photogenic.
Alright the plants above are actually Saxifragaceae, although there is a bit of Rhododendron peaking out just above them. Who could resist snapping this Fingerleaf Rodgersia in this particular instance?
Finally, the good old Geranium, who could resist this one either? I couldn't. All photos taken this time on my OM-5 and M.Zuiko 12-45mm f4 Pro; yummy.