The Perennial Beauty

The beautiful Azalea plants are in full bloom all over Houston right now.  A few weeks ago, a friend and I toured the Bayou Bend Gardens, despite the cold and the rain.  We muddled through because it was all so very beautiful, both naturalized and gorgeously sculpted.  A full fourteen acres of lush landscape with a magnificent mansion on the hill, looking over it all.  Prominent along the walks were the azaleas in full bloom, creating a beauty all their own.  This wonderful oasis in the middle of Houston was the brainchild of Ms. Ima Hogg (yes, that was her real name.)  She and her two brothers scoped out the land until they found the perfect place with woodland and creeks.  Ms. Hogg began the gardens in 1927 and continued to add to the plantings and concepts until 1942.  In 1961, Ms. Hogg invited the River Oaks Garden Club to supervise permanently the gardens and they continue with characteristic devotion to this day.  The estate and its collections along with the gardens were deeded to The Museum of Fine Arts in 1957.

These beauties grow in my backyard.  

How lucky I am!

A few are still in the bud stage.