Rhododendron

Beacon Hill Park has a wide variety of Rhododendrons - there is even one variety that is native to Vancouver Island. I don't know what variety is pictured above but I was happy to see it beginning to bloom the other day.

Old Bandstand

This little building was used for many years as a bandstand for summer concerts in the park. It has been replaced by a larger stage but the original bulding is preserved here near the southern end of the stone bridge. I like this photo because of the hardy rhododendrons blooming though it is nearly mid-winter. I came across some other winter blossoms recently we'll have a look at next week.

Rhododendron

Regular visitor Cheryl kindly informed me that a Northern Shoveler Duck was hanging out in Beacon Hill Park lately so I went down there yesterday. I saw the duck but he persisted in doing his dabbling on the opposite side of the lake from me no matter where I stood so no pictures worth posting. However, this rhododendron was blooming....

Rhododendrons

There are about a thousand species of Rhododendron and I'm not about to try to identify which one this is. It's one of many I photographed at the Abkhazi Garden on Monday. They grow well in our climate and at this time of year it is worth a trip to this garden if only to see the wonderful collection they have. The flowers range through the spectrum from the palest whitey-yellow to deep magenta and a purplish blue.

Rhododendrons

The glorious flowers above are Rhododendrons. There are more than a thousand species of this flowering bush found in many different parts of the world. I suspect these are a local species since they were blooming last Sunday in a native plants garden in Beacon Hill Park. There are a surprising number of other early blooms out now including another favorite of mine, the crocus.

Abkhazi Garden 2

I'm being a little self-indulgent here just because I like these Calla Lilies too much. This group is also in the Abkhazi Garden, subject of an earlier post. However, the most stunning group of plants in the garden has to be the Rhododendrons and the photo below hints at the amazing range of colors - pale pink on the left and orange and magenta in the background. You'll have to imagine the yellows and the reds and even one blue.