One reason that I love Spring is because of one particular flower. The azalea flower.
Azaleas are flowering shrubs that are commonly seen in the South. They bloom in the Spring and their flowers usually last for 1-2 weeks. They prefer shade and are often planted under tree cover.
I live in the Southern part of Mississippi and our azaleas are in full bloom. It seems like azalea shrubs are everywhere. You barely notice them other times of the year when they can be camouflaged into the landscape, just another bush....same as the others. But when they bloom, they really stand out.
Azalea shrubs can grow very large and produce medium sized blooms. There is also a miniature version that produces small blooms.
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| miniature - coral bell |
One of my favorite presentation of azalea shrubs are when they are pruned into little "trees", like this one:
I have always wanted to try that with some of my azaleas.
I took some pictures of some of my azalea shrubs yesterday. I made collages of them in Picnik (oh, how I will miss you).
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| clkwise: white, coral bell (min.), red formosa, formosa |
Azaelas are so pretty. I grew up with bushes and bushes of them!
ReplyDeleteWe lived outside of Jackson, MS for two years...our family is still near Tupelo and Memphis...I love the South!
Beautiful pictures. I love that flower too. I am a new follower with linky tools. Thanks for visiting Bacon Time today and for leaving a nice comment. I look forward to reading more of your blog and taking in these beautiful pics.
ReplyDeleteI love azaleas too. Am I correct that one of your photos was taken on the golf course in Augusta, GA? The azaleas are always so gorgeous there. Ours are budding here but not blooming yet.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Outdoor Wednesday today.
Robin
Shasta, how gorgeous are these? I have never tried to grow an Azalea. I'm pretty sure that we can grow them. I swear my mom had a couple. I must plant one. I have seen them in bloom in N.Carolina and they were breath taking. Yours look so beautiful. Yes, bring some in and enjoy. It's always a little sad to see one bloomer stop. Yet, I anxiously anticipate the blooms of the next.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jann
One of the reasons I watch the Masters is so that I can see the azaleas. We have them here in Canada, but they don't grow as large as you can. I have one small one in my back garden. As we just moved here in July I haven't seen it bloom yet. Can't wait to see what colour it is.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to take a trip to Mississippi to see this...ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! What a beautiful contrast! I've fallen in love with those views!
ReplyDeleteShasta, thank you for sharing these beautiful photos! Azaleas are so beautiful but it's such a shame they bloom for a short period of time. Ours haven't bloomed yet but it won't be long! The dogwoods are beginning to bloom and they are so pretty! Blessings from Bama!
ReplyDeleteThose are gorgeous blooms.
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful. I live in the south to (NC) and I love the azaleas. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm now following you too.
ReplyDeleteThose are very comforting pictures. One day I want to walk down a beautiful road like that. Relax and enjoy the view.
ReplyDeleteIam new to blogging, and am very confused. How does g+ and blogger connect? I stumbled across ur blog and thought I would check it out.