Rhododendrons

We decided to name our house a few summers ago. You know, like Green Gables or Tara or Wuthering Heights. The girls were all in favor of naming it Kitten Manor or something, but in the end, I got my way, and we live in Rhododendron Cottage. I’m still looking for the perfect sign to announce it to our suburban neighborhood. I’m sure people will be confused, or worse, sigh over yet another Dillaway oddity.

I chose Rhododendron Cottage because directly in front of our house is a very large red rhododendron. When it blooms in May (late because it’s on the shady north side), our entire living room basks in the pink reflected light. You can barely see the greenery. When it’s in bloom, the rhododendron also makes noise. Ok, it doesn’t make noise. But it is so covered in bees that you hear the buzzing from a dozen feet away. My children are terrified of being stung, but I am delighted every year. So many pollinators! And they’re so happy!

If it sounds like I’m bragging, I’m not. First, I have done nothing to cause our rhododendron to be so large and productive, except perhaps ignoring it. We barely prune it. We let the fallen leaves rot on the ground. We don’t use fertilizer. Second, here in western Washington it’s not exactly hard to grow rhododendrons. They’re the state flower and they grow nearly everywhere. Just down the road from us is a park that has a huge collection of them. I once saw one towering over a two-story house. It feels like everyone has a rhododendron.

But to us, it’s our rhododendron that’s special. Because it blooms later than most. It blooms only when spring has actually come to our house, to our yard. And it blooms so spectacularly that even the interior of our house is transformed. We can’t ignore it. Whether we’re coming or going, that rhododendron is right there, shouting, “Spring is here!” I love its brashness. There’s nothing delicate or fragile about it.

Maybe that’s why we settled on Rhododendron Cottage in the end. Because our home is all of those things. Brash, sturdy, and probably a little indelicate. Just the way we like it.