Spring Wildflowers and Native Plants

A recent trip to North Georgia and North Carolina was an opportunity to photograph native azaleas, rhododendrons and wildflowers.  Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens in Hiawassee is located at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds on the shore of Lake Chatuge.  There you will find over 400 varieties of rhododendron.  Fred Hamilton, Sears Roebuck executive and Atlanta resident, started the garden in his back yard, but after years of growth, he realized he could no longer take care of all the plants.  So the plants were transplanted to their current location.  For directions and more information:  http://www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com/rhododendronfestival.php

Robbinsville, NC, is the location of the Blue Boar Inn on Lake Santeetlah and a great place for a weekend retreat.  Nearby is the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, one of the largest contiguous tracts of old growth forest in the Eastern United States, the area is administered by the U. S. Forest Service.  The forest is abundant with wildflowers in the spring and this year they were spectacular!

  

Marie's Flower Garden

Sometimes you find great photo opps in places you don't expect!  Last weekend I met 3 high school friends who I hadn't seen in years in Chattanooga for a girls' weekend.  We had a great time staying on the Delta Queen and catching up with each other.  On the way home, I visited my sister whose flower garden had started to bloom.  She has a variety of wildflowers including Shooting Star, Dwarf Crested Iris, and Virginia bluebells and perennials like Columbine, Canterbury Bells, and Bleeding Heart!  Marie's 6 year old granddaughter, Lillian, got into the act, telling me which flower to photograph next and using the remote to make the shot!  What fun!