Hi folks-
Well, it seems that the early June 2021 heat wave has broken (for now). Now all we need is some more rain…
The Rhododendrons at the grove in Fitzwilliam, NH were largely unaffected by all that heat. To be sure, the leafy growth has sped up a bit, but that is quite normal for June anyway. The flower buds remain as tight as they should be for now.
On the cellular level of these plants, changes (unseen by us) are happening that will bring about, among other things, the mid-July bloom. This process goes on despite the weather blips that can and do happen. A prolonged stint of hot, cold or wet weather is required to alter the process that has evolved over the eons. Will the extremes of Climate to come be enough to disrupt that age-old process? It is a guess. Nobody knows. Blah blah blah.
As usual, the planted cultivar Rhodos that can be viewed in yards and gardens are now in full bloom and rather splendid this year at least in SW New Hampshire. No big changes are evident on the Rhododendron front at the grove in Fitzwilliam, however. They are a native species (Rhododendron maximus) that will not start to bloom for another 2-3 weeks or so. For anybody who follows this blog, this is not anything new. The “peak” bloom normally happens around July 15 or so. So far, it does not look any different this year, but we will wait and see, eh?
Not too much in the way of pictures this week, except to show that although the leaf buds are growing out well, the flower buds remain fairly tight.
The blackflies are pretty much gone this week, but the mosquitos are quite thick at the grove, so come prepared as always.
Until next week,
Ted Lenk
