As the cultivated rhododendrons in landscaped house gardens are fading for the season, the native “rose trees” at the rhododendron grove in Fitzwilliam, NH are still not ready to bloom. It may be another two weeks or so before they are fully in blossom. The temperature and rainfall usually have an effect on timing of […]
Author: Ted Lenk
Ted Lenk is an NH State Park Volunteer who checks in regularly at Rhododendron State Park.
Rhododendron Bloom Report: June 17, 2016
There has not been much obvious change to see in the grove from last week to now, although discreet changes are certainly happening on the cellular level that we cannot see without looking very closely with a microscope. I have included photos of both leaf and flower buds taken a week ago as well as […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: June 10, 2016
Hey Folks, This week’s tour of Rhododendron State Park was a bit on the cool side – 58 degrees F at 3:00 pm – windy and dry. Not much in the way of biting insects, but a few found me. As shown in these photos (which were taken on Thursday June 9, 2016), the flower […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: June 3, 2016
Hey folks- Welcome to the 2016 series of bloom reports from Rhododendron State Park. A new posting should be published for this “blog” each Friday until the bloom is over for this season (perhaps mid-August or so). As usual for this species of rhododendron (Rhododendron maximus – a native North American species), the actual bloom […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: August 6, 2015
The beginning of August is here in all its glory. Heat and humidity seem to have prevailed, with the emphasis on heat. Perhaps between that and the surprisingly early bloom that took place this year, there is not a rhododendron flower to be seen anywhere in the grove this week. “Normally” there might still be […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: July 31, 2015
As I walked around the Rhododendron Loop yesterday (Thursday July 30), I did not see any blooms that were not past their prime. I was not correct in saying that there would be flowers to see in early August. Oh well. Thus is demonstrated the unpredictable nature of the natural world. Even with all the […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: July 23, 2015
Although a few blooms here and there can be seen in the grove, the main “event” of flowers blooming has slipped by us once again. There are several places along the trail where a bush has numerous blooms that are just now reaching fullness, but most of the flower petals from the past week’s blooms […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: July 16, 2015
It’s really quite pretty in the grove this week. Lots of fully developed blooms can be seen for the next few days throughout the Rhododendron area. As usual, some places will be almost devoid of blooms, and other places will be almost profuse (if one could say that about this year’s show-it is a bit […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: July 9, 2015
This week there are lots of fully blooming flowers to be seen at Rhododendron State Park. “Peak bloom” is a bit early this year. Perhaps the weather has affected the timing. I suspect that it will always be a mystery. Plants are often that way and sometimes that can be a good thing. It helps […]
Rhododendron Bloom Report: July 2, 2015
It seems that we’ve had enough rain for a bit. Plants generally do better with more moisture, though. Rhododendrons, being in the heath family, have fine roots as opposed to a central taproot, so water storage in the plant is poor. Often, “wild” rhododendrons do better in a wet area, as is the case at […]