French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1919-05-29
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While it is true the azaleas have
nearly all left the mountains around
Hendersonville, still here and there in
the woods may be discovered asfiam-
ing torch of wonderful beauty. That
the woods may lose none of their
sprlngtime charm, however, the noun
tain laurel is beginning to bloom. the
pink and white blossoms being found
everywhere within short distances OF
those strange places men TALL cities
The rhododendron is not YET out, al
though it is making earnest promises
that it will soon appear fully garbed,
and the sturdy bushes are fairly :illed
with the buds.
Nature is kind to Western North
Carolina in many ways. In no lart1-
cular, however, is she more conside-
rate than in the ordering Of that
floral procession passing through the
deep woods surrounding Henderson
Vile.
1t is rare delight these days to
ride some little frequented mountain
trail with nothing in particular to do
and with ample time in which to do it,
The trail may lead along a mountain
side with the leaves so many overhead
as to quite obscure the sun. The
woods look to be filled with mystery,
and romance and fairies While ez-
pecting one of these good spirites to
jump out at you, you see a streak of
flame in the forest, and being very
brave you soon discover it to be late
azalea. The bush is robbed of it's
glory, but not without a certain re-
gret, and later some hitherto dark
corner in the living room is trans
formed into an alter where sheer
beauty is worshipped.
But the a3aleas are nearly all gone,
although they will soon return. The
mountain laurel is said to be jealous
of it's sister flowers charm and so it
is trying very hard to take it's place.
But the laurel, sometimes mistaken
by the silly city people for rhododen-
dron, is a more modest flower and
strive as it may the woods are not the
same with the azaleas's fairy torch
missing Soon, however, will come
the true hododendrOn-mos. nlagni-
ficent of all the mountain flowers and
which literally and truly changes the
woods and the sides of the hills into
abiding PAGES of love and longing and
of day dreams where dreams come
true. Did you know that somewhere,
in Polk county it is Whispered, there is
actually blue rhododendron? This
may seem too startling to be true, Of
course, nevertheless is it seriously
Stated. Surely a blue rhododcndron
would be we'll worth long days jour-
ney to enjoy.
There are many other flowers in the
woods, as we'll, and all of them the
more beautiful for. that they are wild
and uncultivated. The colors are
many and varied, varying in fact from
pink to yellow. In some spots the
floor of the woods is carpeted with
flowers fantastically woven into a
pattern impossible to be copied bysI
man. And along the edges Of the tra1IE
often at places where your horse /
manifests a desire to stop and nibble
of the long grass, may be found wild
strawberries as incomparably sweeter
to the taste as the wild flowers are
more charming to the eye than their |
cultivated city sisters. The wfi1
strawberries are naturally shy and
hide close under their protecting |
leaves Also they are smaller and
daintier than their city relatives, but |
to find a handful and to eat them /,
slowly and with due thoughtfulness as
YOU amble along one of these little
freauented trails, now and then
catching a glimpse OF flaming aza-
lea in the woods, is something really
worth while these late spring days.