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Flame Azalea Rododendron calenulaceaum

Some very notable and obvious members of the azalea family will also be helping to welcome the spring. Several closely related species of Flame Azalea like to show off with brilliant orange displays. The Pinksters and Pink Shell Azaleas are more conservative in their attire, but still very beautiful. A little bit later on we'll be seeing the reddish-pink Catawba Rhododendron, and then the white Rosebay. There are many very similar species and subspecies of Rhododendrons and it is sometimes difficult to tell exactly which one you might be looking at. There will be different species of azalea blooming from April into July. The Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia, also is a fairly early bloomer. Although not an azalea, it is sometimes confused because it has very similar leaves to several of the rhododendrons. The flowers are very d ifferent.

The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are excellent areas to view many wildflowers, even from the car. A short trip down almost any forest trail on foot should be a most gratifying experience this time of year. In Asheville, the Botanical Gardens at the University of North Carolina and the Western North Carolina Nature Center are great places to stop to familiarize yourself with the local native plants.

One book that I've found to be very useful and informative is "Wildflowers of North Carolina", by William S. Justice and C. Ritchie Bell (Published by University of North Carolina Press, PO BOX 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27514). I hope that you will be able to get out and see some of the 2900 flowering plants that grow in North Carolina. We have put together a page of useful books concerning NC wildflowers available from Amazon.com at http://ncnatural.com/selections/flowers.html.

Please respect these plants and try to avoid injuring or harming them. I visit the same plant families every year and it brings me great joy to see them opening up right where I expect them to be. Have a beautiful spring.

Pinkster Flower Rhododendron nudiflorum

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