Most people think of rhododendrons when they bloom.
I think of them when their waxy evergreen foliage becomes the loveliest thing in my garden in winter. This large-flowered, pink rhododendron is typical of the cultivated vareties that have been bred from Asia species combined with species from the North Carolina mountains, including R. Catawbiense and R. Maximum . These big brothers of the azaleas have problems growing here. Aside from a few species that live in the North Carolina mountains and parts of Florida, most come from cool, moist mountainsides of southern and southeastern Asia. They can't resist the diseases of hot southern soils.