Rhododendron — /ˌroʊdəˈdɛndrən/ (from Ancient Greek ῥόδον rhódon “rose” and δένδρον déndron “tree” is a very large genus of 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), either evergreen or deciduous, and found mainly in Asia, although it is also widespread throughout lowland and montane forests in the Pacific Northwest, California, the Northeastern United States, and especially in the highlands of the Appalachian Mountains of North America. It is the national flower of Nepal, the state flower of Washington and West Virginia in the United States, the provincial flower of Jiangxi in China and the state tree of Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India. Most species have brightly colored flowers which bloom from late winter through to early summer.

That’s right…the rhododendron is the state flower of Washington. I blush to say that as a relatively recent transplant I did not know that particular fact about my newly adopted home state; but given the attributes of this particular “woody plant,” the choice of the rhododendron as our state flower reflects well on us all. Tulips are indeed lovely, but next to a half century old rhododendron, a single tulip is but a fleck of floral confetti. With the last of the tulips topped and awaiting the harvest of bulbs in July, now comes the time of the rhody — and we have plenty to admire here in the Magic Skagit.

Growing up in San Francisco, with its West Coast Mediterranean climate, rhododendrons impressed themselves upon me at a young age. They were often the splashy sentries beside the doors of white stucco Spanish style homes in the tonier sections of The City, but you saw them frequently along with roses, junipers, and boxwood hedges as ornamental standards of aspiring working-class family landscapes.

Back then, I thought of rhodies as boldly colorful but otherwise restrained bushes. Moving to the Pacific Northwest, however, I have come to see them for what they always were in their feral state in the Himalayan forests of Nepal: true demigods of arboreal blooms. If you think I’m waxing hyperbolically, just remember that while rhodies are the state flower of Washington, they just so happen to be the state tree of Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India. That’s right…I said tree, not bush. If you want to get a sense of just how impressive those bad boys can be, you need look no farther than Cleveland Street, Mount Vernon.

If Cleveland Street ever considers changing its name (nothing against Grover Cleveland, mind you), I think it should be called Rhododendron Way. While there are magnificent rhodies to be seen all over the Valley, the concentration of epic blooms along Cleveland Street — especially between Hazel and Kincaid — is worth a slow ride on a sunny day (play some Foghat on the old 8-track). Or better yet, park the car and stroll north. You are in for some jaw dropping floral displays, and you can cap your amazement with a little something to eat or drink once your footsteps have taken you to downtown Mount Vernon, just a couple of blocks farther.

Knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words, and having so far expended more than 500 of them in sharing this with you, I’ll leave it to these recent photos from Cleveland Street — excuse me, I meant “Rhododendron Way” — to more pleasurably communicate a few thousand more.

Happy Spring, friends and neighbors! Like its rhododendrons, the Magic Skagit is blooming again after a long pandemic winter. Get outside, for crying out loud!