PLANTS THAT I LOVE
and daughter, Becky Wojcik, walked me through three acres of beau-tiful
and mature blooming rhododendrons.
They talked of the connection between these plants and the man
they loved. Both worried that the plants would be overlooked when
the house sells.
“Whoever moves in here is not going to appreciate these flowers,”
Wojcik said. “It breaks my heart.”
I wonder if the former owners of my house think about the beauti-ful
old-fashioned rhododendrons they left behind. It’s a special time
of the year when they put on their show. Huge plants towering on a
hillside covered in red, purple, white and pink flowers.
Rhododendrons grow best as an understory plant and love acidic
woodland soil. They can survive as foundation out in the sun, but
aren’t really happy there. The blooms are short-lived when the day
heats up.
With the help of her husband, Wojcik transplanted some of the
smaller shrubs into their own garden to keep her father’s legacy alive.
“We will take what we can,” she said. “We’ve got our memories.
We’ve got our pictures, and, then, we’ve got our place I’m sure he
would have been proud of.”
Find a rhododendron from your garden, and create a new set of
memories.
Rhododendrons are beautiful even when the bud is just
starting to bloom.
CONTINUED FROM · PAGE 6
MAY 2018 • Vo l . 3 , I s s u e 5 | 7
K.D. Harris is one of the thousands of
rhododendrons in Jim Browning’s garden.
Becky Wojcik and her mother, Blanche Browning,
find comfort in the garden of Jim Browning, who was
Becky’s father and Blanche’s husband.