Stone Bunny is sitting atop a rock today so she can have a nice view of Rhododendron.
Over there with her friend Spirea
Stone Bunny is so proud of Rhododendron today.
She is so pretty
And vibrant.
Yes, Stone Bunny is quite pleased today.
You see, Bunny was worried about Rhododendron. We had a hard winter and no other member of the garden community had to experience the long, cold winter quite like Rhododendron. Stone Bunny knows that this fine bush would rather live somewhere like the Smoky Mountains, where it is warmer and mistier and the soil is better. But Rhododendron lives in Indiana. Unlike other Indiana bushes, though, Rhododendron doesn’t go to sleep for the winter. She stays awake and addresses each and every day for what it is.
Stone Bunny remembers. Here was Rhododendron in early January.
Looking rough, but she shook off the cold and bounced back just a few days later.
Then it really snowed.
But she shook that off too.
Stone Bunny remembers that Rhododendron did great in January.
Then the winter really set in. February was cold and hard.
The Deer came to eat her. 
Stone Bunny didn’t like that. She was mad at the deer for eating poor Rhododendron. They don’t even like the taste of Rhododendron.
Stone Bunny didn’t mind the Cardinals resting on her.
But Bunny was worried when the ice came
Followed by more snow.
Rhododendron had a hard time recovering from that one.
Then it became really cold.
By early March, poor old Rhododendron was just trying to survive, dreaming of the Smoky Mountains. 
But Stone Bunny smiles as she remembers, because Rhododendron proved herself to be a real trooper.
Just a couple weeks later she perked right back up. A little chewed up on the edges. Leaves looking rough, but she survived. 
OK, so a few branches were dead, but mostly she survived.
And not only did she survive, but by early May she was ready to bloom.
Granted, some leaves still showed signs of the hard winter and less-than-ideal soil conditions.
But Rhododendron didn’t care and neither did Bunny and neither did Mary, because it was time to bloom.
And bloom she does.
She is even putting on new growth for next year.
Yes. Stone Bunny is pleased. Rhododendron survived another winter and blooms yet again.
In Jim's Garden 
This is the way to tell the story!
Thanks Ma. I’m glad you like it. 🙂
I really enjoyed walk through your beautiful garden! Love the deer, bird, flowers…
Thanks Amy. The deer and birds loved having you, I’m sure. 🙂 Thanks for the pictures of the blooms and parade on your post yesterday. Have another great day traveling.
I loved my visit in your beautiful garden,what a wonderful and talented way of telling a story, I will be back soon 🙂
Great. Thanks. See you soon. I bet Stone Bunny is already looking forward to your next visit. 🙂
Nice tale with a happy ending for your rhododendron. We have winter die-back on our rhodies, too, but it’s too soon to know whether we’ll have a happy ending. Love your Then and Now photos.
Thank you Annie. I see on your blog that you are southerners starting over in New England. New Hampshire, I gather. Best wishes. I expect you will quickly learn which members of the garden community can handle the winter and not. And I’m just going to take a wild stab and guess that you have spent the last two months wondering what happened to SPRING. Why so sluggish, eh? Hope you rhodies make it. Thanks for reading.
Hi Jim: what a tribulation for your rhodo. Glad she is blooming now, after all that. Most of mine are in really sad shape.
Hi Cynthia. Alas, you are so far from the Smoky Mountains up there in far Canada. Our rhododendron wonder why we think they are polar bears. They should understand that if they weren’t so darn pretty when they bloom, we might let them grow where they like it. But pretty they are and grow them we do. I hope yours come back and thrive. If they can just put on a little new growth…..
Beautiful photos along with a fascinating story!. I really like it! She’s really tough! When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And she’s proved it that she’s the tough one!
No wonder you are doing great today. 🙂
Thanks Inge. I’m really glad you liked it. Yes, old Rhododendron is tough and she’s doing great today. Me too. I hope you are too. Have a wonderful day. 🙂
Do you do all the work on this garden? It must be amazingly time consuming as well as beautiful!
Yes, we – my lovely lady and I – tend the gardens. It’s effort, but it is our passion. I don’t play golf. I don’t fish. I garden. And I love it! Weeding is one of my favorite activities, strange as that may sound. Thanks. Cheers! 🙂
WOW… . . huge amount of work….congratulations for your creation !
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Hi. I tried the domain link, but it appears to be a generalized, dysfunctional domain name. If you are real, which I hope you are, please reply and include the name. I’ll try again. Thanks. 🙂