I’m addicted.  I freely admit it.  Not only were Rhododendrons instrumental in my beginnings as a landscaper, they still fascinate me in ways no other plants can.  And I know exactly why.  How many plants do we know of which bloom like this?  In such mad colors?  And with blooms so ridiculously big?

The pictures all enlarge on clicking them.  If you want a real surprise, click them twice. 😉

A friend and I took a trip to one of those features of the North West which are absurdly common here.  I am hardly the first huge Rhodie aficionado, but those before me have so wonderfully put their money where their garden interests were, it is occasionally mind-boggling. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens fulfill that role amazingly well.  Hard by Reed College in Southeast Portland, this little treasure trove borders a golf course on one side and unveils an absolutely stupendous Spring event every year.  Fortunately, I was able to catch some of that today. Don’t be afraid to click these pictures twice.  I decided to keep the large scale picture size so that by clicking once, it gives a nice rendition of what it looks like, standing near, but if you open it by clicking again, you can get some amazing detail out of these blooms and plants.

There is more to see as well in this cool park.  Here are two “non-rhododendron-related pictures of the park itself and it’s cute and very naturalistic waterfalls, followed by a view across a small lake onto the adjoining golf course.  The lake there has eaten a couple of my very own golf balls, for those who wonder.

Absolutely gorgeous park, right in the middle of a major American city, it is one of the things I love most about Portland and always have.  These little hidden pockets of natural bliss are everywhere.  And I use the term “little”, advisedly.  Obviously, lol.  Anyway, I’ll close with another small display, this time of a group of Mollis Azalea’s.  Tomorrow, I will complete the journey through this killer little park.

Pictures of this project are taken from my business partner’s (Bill’s) back yard in Reno, Nevada. The pictures below are taken from the crude beginnings when we faced nothing more than a pile of really nasty weeds and a pretty solid wasteland. The dust was intense in the constant winds of Reno, causing real messes inside the house and making using their back patio next to impossible. The picture above is taken from a sort of filter posed by one of my all time favorite perennials, Gaura, shown here ready to burst into bloom, a condition it maintains all Summer long. An amazing plant, Gaura, somewhat drought-tolerant and excessively and richly-bloomed.

Bill’s wife, Donna, is as hard-working as her old man and she wanted a place they could relax in on those rare occasions when they didn’t work. She got pretty thrilled the first time she heard her waterfall running out back and I am not sure they have ever closed their windows at night since then, lol. Donna’s a true fan of the sound of water.

Below is a picture taken from above the water feature’s source, a waterfall developed out of, really, nothing. Notice as you browse this project, the presence of some fat trees near the falls. Luckily, they are happy there. They makes the inset of a rushing waterfall less surprising than one would expect to see there on the flat bottomed old lake bottom their property is located on. Oh, and Donna may have one of the most total set of Disney collectibles in the known universe. Anyway, when we began it did not look like this. Scroll down for the beginnings.

Here we go…..THIS was what we dealt with first:

Just a bit on the “dusty” side……..Oh yes, and there was this:

And then this:

Now, these pictures were all taken AFTER we had built the water feature. Imagine, if you will, what preceded all that. Basically, weeds and dirt and not much else. Anyway, after dealing with Bill and promising him that all those “Sticks” we were buying at good rates would actually turn out to be plants, his good nature won out and he went and trusted us, lol. Well, he then ended up with these pictures, taken last year:

He got happier and happier. Fortunately, we always had an ally in Donna. For her, the water did the trick! Anyway, there is much more there, but we accomplished almost all of it between gigs and in our spare time. They were and are gracious and loving members of the landscape fraternity. Naturally, the fact that Bill and I played about 100 games of softball a year together matters, too, lol.

As if I could not get enough, I have now expanded my picture-taking of local Rhodies to another 3 whole blocks! Honestly, they are all over, making it easy to do and just keeping the adoration of this flower at my usual fever pitch. So, without further ado:

And here is a giant one. I had to do a double-take checking this one out. It was a total surprise. It is about 12 feet high:

I almost neglected the poor, miserable Azaleas, so in an effort to correct that, I include these creatures too just to say I did: (the first is obviously a “Mollis”)

And this one a bit more Japanese:

And an Exbury Hybrid, a favorite of mine always:

And a Rhododendron to close with..opening might be shocking, lol:

(If you double click, you’ll need a drive-in theater)

Every project we take on is not some massive and expensive extravaganza. It would be nice, lol, but it sure doesn’t work that way. Obviously, I show them off because I am as human as the next guy. I am proud of them, their complexity and many of their fascinating styles. Add also that the larger projects do offer some pretty astounding diversity, from garden grotto’s to large scale reinventions of entire environments.

But we have done plenty of smaller-budget jobs for what I will term “normal people”, lol. These “normals” keep us in business, the fact is. Projects like those shown here are typically in high-population areas or neighborhoods and everyone gets a look at what transpires. It results in a lot of conversations, at worst, and more work, at best. We get to know plenty of neighbors, friends and visitors of the family’s in the neighborhood and the general style is actually a lot more fun. Lots of people with relevant questions, a chance to go over and help a guy or lady out with some nagging issue of great moment to them but like falling off a log for us, since we do these chores daily.

The pictures above are of this ilk. Both wanted to get a bit more curb appeal and some better function out of squared-off cement sidewalks and entryways. Expanding the sidewalks to enter a home produces a more openly inviting ambiance at first glance. It also is extremely functional, especially when moving that piano inside. The next shot is an entry that we did the opposite to, cluttering it up real good, lol.

These are smaller but equally-satisfying projects, no matter what the budget. Working with people is still the prime benefit of the entire operation, at least to me. The single greatest motivating statement I ever heard was “Gosh, Steve, we knew it was going to look good, but we never dreamed it would look THAT good.” That’s better than money. Of course, tears are better, but they are rarer, too.;-)

Incidentally. many of the lawns seen here we have referred maintenance issues and especially fertilizing and disease identification to TruGreen with outstanding results. They have proved imminently capable and most reasonable.