On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
PaulB
Welcome to part 3 of stage 12 of “Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip,” the Cascade Loop. We’re still visiting Meerkerk Gardens in this round of photos. I had too many good pictures to share to settle for just one set of pictures. This is the last post in this series. Thank you for joining me on this road trip.
Note: You can see full-size versions of these photos here.
Most of the photos speak for themselves, so I’ll only provide notes on a couple of them.
While many of the rhododendrons were massive, there was a section of the garden that was dedicated to the dwarf varieties, with bushes no larger than 3 feet.
I loved the little figurine in this picture, but when I took a closer look, I found that it appears to be a figurine not of the Mother Nature variety, but of a tooth fairy. You can see a toothbrush, several pennies, and a tube of toothpaste at the base, along with acorns and what appear to be molars. Such an odd thing to see in a garden like this.
OzarkHillbilly
Moar Rhodies! Thanx Paul.
sab
I love that figurine but my husband thinks she is scary.
I never knew there were dwarf rhododendrons.
PaulB
And so we come to the end of the Cascade Loop. Thank you to everyone who joined me on the journey. Your comments were amazing, as usual, and I was delighted to hear of your own experiences, and how some of you will be taking your own journeys in the region. Thank you to WaterGirl for running the series, and to Anne Laurie, who ran the rhododendron pictures in a Sunday Garden post.
PaulB
I had a small selection of dwarf rhododendrons in my own yard, including a variety with green flowers, which are somewhat unusual. I prefer the dwarf varieties, even if they don’t have the spectacular profusion of flowers, because they’re easier to care for and don’t get out of control the way the larger varieties do.
Of course, I had a tiny yard, so dwarf varieties of rhodies and azaleas were all I really had room for.
sab
It has been 50+ years since I have been in that part of the country, but I still vividly remember how gorgeous it is.
Thank you PaulB for the photos reminding me.
SkyBluePink
What a lovely place and pictures!
KatKapCC
@sab: Yeah, I can’t decide if she’s adorable or a teeny bit creepy. Maybe both!
StringOnAStick
The views of the water convinced my husband that we’ll be visiting this garden. The 2 miles of trails is going to be perfect for my Achilles rehab too by then. Thanks again for the whole series!