Rhodies in Bloom

Grammy, the pup and I spent the day working on her yard. I usually forget to take pictures, but today was an exception. This shot is the "Nova Zembla" rhododendron that just burst into bloom when the hot weather arrived a couple of days ago.

The Backstory: Winter lingered on until just a couple of weeks ago and the nurseries were suffering from too many plants and too few customers. So one very cold day, we scored some great buys on rhodies. JR and Gram immediately found a place for three in the front yard; JR dug through the horrific clay "topsoil" that Lennar provided her new home and they have survived the unseasonable cold, winds directly off the snows and the aforementioned dirt. Well, they didn't survive exactly--I think it's more like they flourished! This is the first to bloom. Another white one is blooming now in the backyard, and another pink one is set to bloom very soon in the front yard. Another has buds, but we have no idea what color (part of the reason they were so nicely priced is that many didn't have a tag indicating color). So it will be a surprise!

In other garden news, a contractor has been chosen, pavers have been ordered and a garden plan has been finalized. Six yards of triple-mix will arrive this Saturday, meaning we will be a wheelbarrow brigade digging up soil in the planting areas and replacing or remixing it with the triple-mix. A week later, paver installation will commence. While the pavers go in, we will be getting the irrigation system in order. Sod will be laid when the coast is finally clear and we will all breathe a sigh of relief and toast each other for a job well done!