Rhododendron Gardens

The Rhododendron Gardens are located in a Canadian temperate zone. Each year, thousands of people flock to the mountain at the peak bloom period during late June. In a good year a single bush might boast over 100 clusters of flowers while hundreds of bushes spread out over the mountain. Catawba Rhododendron bushes are so plump and round that they appear to have been pruned by the hand of man to achieve their perfect shape, yet the only sculpture work on Roan Mountain is that of Mother Nature. At first, visitors are captivated by the broad panorama of crimson, but if they look closely enough they may find the individual blossom of rhododendron has its own unique beauty. Each petal is sprinkled with an intricate pattern of tiny spots along its lip that acts as a kind of runway for bees looking for a flower to pollinate.