I love April. Aside from it being my birthday month, it’s also the time when the garden comes to life! Every day there’s a new and wonderful discovery and I thought I’d take a moment (since I have so many of them on my hands right now!) each day and highlight a favorite plant of the day!
Today’s plant is Rhododendron makinoi. I’m not really a fan of rhododendrons but I am a big fan of the unique, long narrow leaves and the hot pink flower buds!
Here is a lesson for new gardeners: when shopping for plants that are a little pricier, wait until the end of season! Special plants like this can pinch the pocket books but often nurseries will have pretty drastic sales as they are closing up shop for the season! Also, be patient. It’s taken several years to start seeing the larger, more dramatic growth and more than one or two flower buds!
A special thanks to my friend Anna at Flutter & Hum for the recommendation!
Until tomorrow!
mardigrasgardener 
That is certainly an odd one. I never met it while growing rhododendrons. We grew something of a similar but not so weirdly striking style. Goodness; I can not remember the name! We referred to it as ‘oleander’ because that is what it sort of looks like.
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That’s beautiful. Still waiting for mine to flower… I’ve had it for years (maybe 4-5?). Looking forward to more posts!
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