Recently I have been taking walks in the lovely Rhody Garden at Fort Worden, here in Port Townsend, Washington. What a delightful, colorful and peaceful place! This fir tree forest with its filtered light is home for the shade-loving, colorful rhodies. The rhododendron is both the Washington state flower and the theme behind the Rhododendron Festival (or Rhody Fest), which takes place in Port Townsend during the second or third week of May every year, with parades, queens and princesses, races of many silly types, and other activities. Next year will be the 75th Rhody Fest.
Here is a short description of the Centennial Rhododendron Garden, from the Fort Worden website:
"Located between the chapel and the brick theater, this beautiful showcase of the state flower of Washington is sponsored and developed by the Olympic Rhododendron Foundation. All plants have been donated. Materials are paid from donations, and the work is done by volunteers. The flowers are at their best in May, just in time for Port Townsend's Rhody Festival..."
I will be posting more photos of and haiku about the rhodies and the garden in the near future.
Entrance to the garden...
The peace pole, in four languages; English, Spanish, Russian and Japanese
A beautiful carpet of what may be alyssum underlies these lovely rhodies...
Sit down on a bench and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere...the Officers' Quarters are in the background here.
The Rhody Garden...
forest within a forest
of sentinel firs
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Comments: 46
I want to go! Looks like a wonderful retreat!
Fort Worden and the garden are truly a delight, Linda. Thanks for commenting.
We love Port Townsend. It's one of our very favorite places to visit. And Fort Worden park is so lovely! Thank you, Alison. We are featuring your photo essay today at Home Comfort
Thank you so much, Natalie.
How lucky to be able to enjoy all that beauty, Alison! It looks so peaceful...
The park and garden are indeed wonderful, Marianne! Thanks for commenting.
These are beautiful photos, what a lovely place to visit.
Thank you so much, Nana.
Good photo essay ,and lovely Haiku.
Thank you very much, Phil.
Such a sweet walk. My rhodies are late but blossoming now.
Thanks for commenting, Karen. I hope to see your rhodies some time!
What a beautiful place to visit. I enjoyed your lovely haiku as well.
Thank you, Kay.
Beautiful photos. We can't grow rhododendrons here.
Thanks for commenting, John.
Beautiful photos!
Thanks, Cheryl.
Lovely pictures and wonderful poem.
Thank you, Katherine.
Wow! That looks so restful! It's such a shame that rhodies don't keep their blooms for longer than they do. I'd love to plant a small grove of them if they did.
Ina, the different types blossom at different times. Some were just budding, while others had dropped all their petals, when I was there.
Thanks for commenting!
It looks like a beautiful place to go - nice poem too!
Thank you, Kimber!
The visual effect of your Haiku is well defined. Nice shots. Looks relaxing.
Thank you, William. I appreciate your kind critique.
Is that a no violins, but fiddlers are a welcome sight sign?
LOL! There is a chamber music festival as well as Fiddle Tunes Festival every summer at the Fort, so violins are welcome, too...and the theater and performing arts center are right next door.
It's a beautiful place.
Thanks for commenting, Tanya.
The Haiku and photos are both beautiful. Great job, Alison.
Thanks so much, Marge.
What a wonderful photo essay, Alison! I love your haiku!! :)
Thanks for your kind comments, Lawrence.
Lovely photo essay and a top notch haiku.
What a great place for a walk!!
Alison:
Your photos glisten with stunning clarity, and well document the "beautiful showcase" of the state's flower. A beautifully formatted article; full of beauty and just the right amount of information to pique the reader's interest.
Thank you so much, Barbra. I appreciate your kind critique. I find it difficult, myself, to make my way through long photo essays, losing the thread in a plethora of pictures. Of which I have many, lol!
An excellent haiku and essay! :-)
Blessings and best wishes - S.
Thank you so much, Sveta.
What a beautiful place... and those officer's quarters are like nothing I've ever seen. (I was once an officer's wife. Army though. Assume this is Navy?)
What a lovely place.
Wow! Beautiful place, I could spend all day there!
Thank you for a lovely tour and a super haiku, Alison!
Lovely tour. I'm going to follow along. We love rhodies.