The last color- Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Cornell Pink'

The last bit of color in the garden coincides nicely with the Thanksgiving Day holiday. The landscape is turning shades of gray and brown as the leaves litter the ground and the bare tree branches form outlines against the sky. There is one shrub, the Korean rhododendron, which brightens the back corner of the garden and has been a reliable bit of late color for the past six years. It is worth noting because it’s the very last of the shrubs in the border to lose its leaves and also the first of my flowering shrubs to bloom in the spring. The leaves finally drop anywhere from the last week of November to the second week of December, depending on the weather. The picture above was taken in 2007 when the grouping of three shrubs was considerably smaller.They were a bit more orange that year. The color ranges from this brilliance to a slightly more subdued yellow orange, as it is this year. This is a deciduous (leaf-dropping) rhododendron and the ‘Cornell Pink’ cultivar was developed at Cornell University in the early 1950’s. The R. mucronulatum was introduced to the U. S. market in the late 1800’s and originates inKorea, Manchuria and Northern China. It will grow up to ten feet tall with a similar spread. I find the flower color of ‘Cornell Pink’ much more desirable than the straight species color, which is a light purple. The Korean rhododendron buds start to crack color in early April and the flowers emerge towards the end of the month. It will bloom for a considerable length of time and it looks wonderful in front of the blooms of a star magnolia (Magnolia stellata). During the summer, this shrub contributes medium fine foliage and airy grace to the shrub border. The Korean rhododendron fits into a naturalistic landscape quite well and it is working overtime right now in the garden, where it shows up quite nicely from a distance. I highly recommend adding a few of these to your garden if they are not already in residence. Is there anything in your garden which is still showing color or life? Share if you will. The winter will be long enough.