One of the biggest surprises of my spring photography was finding a rhododendron in full bloom in March in the Washington, DC area. Usually, the azaleas bloom in April/May – followed by many of the rhododendrons. So you can imagine my surprise to see what was clearly a rhododendron blooming at two different gardens in March.
It turns out – what I was seeing was Korean Rhododendron (Rhododendron mucronulatum). Native to China, Korea and Japan, Korean Rhododendron is an early blooming shrub that is hardy to Zone 4. The showy pink/purple flowers blossom in clusters of three to six flowers. A deciduous shrub, the leaves of the Korean Rhododendron turn yellow/red/orange in the fall before shedding. These shrubs prefer full sun to light shade, usually growing from four to eight feet tall.
The first Korean Rhododendron I photographed this spring was at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia. I really like the way it added a great splash of color to the browns of the woods in early spring.
I really like the way the light was backlighting some of the petals.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
A couple of weeks later, I had the opportunity to photograph another Korean Rhododendron at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, Maryland.
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Now that I know that Korean Rhododendron bloom in March in the DC area – I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it next year. It’s a wonderful splash of pink that arrives a few weeks before the cherry blossoms bloom.
