Rhododendrons Light Up Portland Gardens

Vivid rhodi bush lights up a 4-square off SE Belmont

Those vivid rhododendrons are in bloom again. 
Rhodies come in: orchid pink, bright magenta, scarlet, pale pink, cream, and a rare apricot yellow, an unusual peach-orange, and their bushes are packed with tightly spaced, scentless blossoms. 

These bushes will be lighting up Portland neighborhoods for about the next few weeks or so. Their display is short lived, but breathtaking.

To anyone outside of Portland, the density and hue of their blooms is hallucinogenically thrilling. Like the purple jacarandas of Australia, or the lightning yellow forsythia, these blossoms crowd out all the green leaves, and all you are left seeing is a blaze of enchanting color.

To Portlanders, they are common enough as to be ripped out if inconveniently located, however, these gorgeous bushes signal that spring is here, like no other plant does!